To Lose It All
by Nessa Elendil
Summary: Everyone she's ever loved is dead, imprisoned, or lost. Jasmine Black must now learn to adapt to the new world she has no choice but to be a part of, to learn to let go of the past where she lost all that ever mattered.
1. October 31, 1981

**_A/N: Rewritten, same plot._**

**_Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine._**

The morning had started out better than the afternoon, which was dreary and grey. A drizzle of rain was falling, lightly tapping the roofs and treetops of the town below; a town lucky to have the temperature remain at fifty degrees. 

A lone figure cloaked in black walked briskly through the town of Godric's Hollow, knowing its way, and its destination. No witch or wizard could apparate in that town, an old wizard with a long white beard had seen to that. But there was a message to deliver, and it was an important one at that. The information failed to reach them before anyone else, even Dumbledore, it might be too late. 

The cloaked person walked up to a house that seemed to appear from nowhere, and knocked rapidly on the door. 

"Lily? Lily, are you home? It's me. Hurry, open the door. I don't think I've been followed." As the speaker heard the sound of locks being unlock and protective charms being removed behind the door, the witch threw back her hood to reveal a beautiful young woman, she was around twenty-two with grey eyes and long hair blacker than her cloak, and hoped that, unlike her last unannounced visit to this house, she would be greeted with a security question rather than a hex. 

The door was flung open and the woman was greeted with a wand pointed between her eyes by another young woman, this one with amber hair and brilliant green eyes. The woman's emerald eyes held fear, but she did not utter a hex. 

"What do four wizards call you, and what do you call them and why?" 

Hastily, the witch replied, "Whitetip, more commonly Tips, illegal animagus, form of a black fox, for the fox's white tipped tail. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. The animals they transform into, Moony not by choice." 

"Oh, Jasmine," Lily Potter sighed with relief. Jasmine Black came inside, allowing Lily to shut and lock the door. "What's wrong? Come on, in the kitchen, I was just feeding Harry." 

The two silently walked into the kitchen. It was tidy, clean stove, countertops, and table - except for the place around a baby's highchair - and six chairs and a chair were sitting around the table, one pushed back farther than the rest. In that chair, Lily sat down and resumed feeding her infant son, trying to act as if nothing was wrong as Jasmine remained standing. In all truth, however, nothing was right. A madman calling himself Lord Voldemort had quickly risen to power, and was gaining more everyday. He had eleven years worth of dark creatures, dark followers, and death to support him, and he had marked Lily, her husband James, and their son Harry as his next victims. So they went into hiding, hardly ever leaving the house and knowing they were safe as long as their Secret Keeper was loyal. 

"It's Peter." Jasmine's words, the message she had needed to deliver, was horrible. Peter Pettigrew had been her friend, and James's since they were eleven, and he was betraying them all. That information snapped Lily out of her thoughts, she had even stopped giving Harry his late lunch. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes widening in fear. 

"The spy, the one who's betraying us, it's Peter Pettigrew." 

"No. No, it can't be him!" Lily began crying as she picked up Harry and held him protectively. Panicking. 

"What?" The news was bad, but not as bad as it could have been. Pettigrew, Wormtail, wasn't the Secret Keeper for the Potters'. It could have been worse, much worse, but Lily was acting as though Voldemort himself had just arrived. 

"We just made him our Secret Keeper." Lily began crying once more as she held Harry closer. "Oh, God, he's going to kill my baby! Please, please, I can't leave without James, Merlin knows what he'll think happened! Oh, why did Albus have to see him today? Why?" 

Jasmine felt fear rising within her; she had never been this truly afraid during this war before. But her worst fear had come true, her best friend, as good as her sister, another friend, as close as a brother, her godson; they were in more danger now than before. The murderer could find them. "Lily, Lily listen to me!" She grabbed her friend's shoulders. "I'm going to find Pettigrew, before anything happens. I promise." Her heart ached. She many memories from this house, this room. "I promise." She turned and left. Jasmine wanted to stay and comfort Lily, wait with her for James, know they all got away safely, but there was no time to lose. She had to get to Peter before he went to Voldemort, before she went to Dumbledore. 

Jasmine's cloak flared out behind her as she ran. She had forgotten about the Knight Bus, she had forgotten about apparating as she reached the edge of Godric's Hollow, but not about running, and so she ran as, fast as she possibly could. She must have been a strange sight for muggles looking out their windows: A girl in a three-fourths sleeve shirt, jeans, clogs, and a cloak running as though from Death when there was nothing. But she didn't think about that. Her only thoughts were about getting to Pettigrew in time, and why Sirius had to convince James to choose Wormtail as Secret Keeper. That was the only way they would have switched, and she knew Sirius always worried that Voldemort would come after him, not because he feared for his own life, but if the Potters' whereabouts were forced from him, to Sirius, that was a fate worse than death. But why did he pick Pettigrew? Although she already knew the answer: Because Pettigrew was stupid, witless, and useless. She would have never thought of him that way before he betrayed them, but it was true none the less. He was the perfect decoy, almost. 

As her side cramped up, Jasmine increased her pace. She knew where Peter was hiding, and she still had a long way to go. 

Night had fallen for only half an hour when Jasmine reached the town she had been trying to get to. 

"Jasy!" Jasmine stopped to catch her breath, leaning on her knees, as she heard a familiar voice call out her name over the growing sound of a motorcycle from somewhere ahead of her. _Sirius._ He must have figured it out, that had to be why he was here. 

Sure enough, in about four seconds, Sirius Black and his flying motorbike landed in front of Jasmine. Sirius quickly helped her on and took off for the Potters'. 

"We gotta get to James. He's gone." Jasmine knew what he meant and almost cried, even though she still could barely breath. When she didn't answer, "Jasy?" He wanted to know if she was going to be okay, not from running, but from the knowledge that their friends could be dead. 

Jasmine gave a weak chuckle at hearing the name Sirius had called her more times than her Marauder name, even at school. Then again, she let only him call her that, it was a cousin thing; and so, of course, though she despised it, Sirius called her that nearly every chance he now, now more out of habit than anything else. 

"I'm alright." In an inaudible voice Jasmine added, "For now." 

hr 

As Godric's Hollow came into view, the motorcycle started to descend. There was no Dark Mark over the house, but that gave Jasmine little reassurance as Voldemort may have just been finishing the job. 

Hastily parking in the front lawn, Sirius landed halfway in the flowerbeds he was usually so careful to avoid. He and Jasmine lunged off the bike and headed for the house, praying everyone was alright. Jasmine's heart stopped at the sight of the front door. It was open. After a quick glance around, she saw how little of the house actually remained standing. Bringing a hand to her mouth, she ran inside with Sirius behind her, neither caring if it fell on them. Shortly after crossing the threshold, she screamed. Sirius stopped in his tracks. James was lying on the floor. He was dead. 

There was no more feeling behind the stare of his open eyes. Determination was written on his face. His wand lay next to him. He had died fighting to save to ones he loved. 

"LILY! HARRY!" Jasmine yelled as she half ran down the hall with tears streaming down her face, knowing and dreading what she would find. 

-------------------------------------------- 

Sirius fell to his knees next to James. Tears were forming. "I'm sorry," Sirius chocked out. "It was all my fault." He reached out and closed his best friend's eyes, knowing they would never open again. 

Sirius wiped the tears from his own eyes and got up to follow his cousin. He found her searching rooms on the second floor, screaming for Lily and waiting in vain for an answer. 

Jasmine and Sirius reached the last door in the hallway at the same time. They went inside to face the cold, empty feeling of death they knew was waiting for them in the baby's room. The first thing they saw was Lily. She was dead, just like her husband. 

The tears that came rushing to Jasmine's eyes blinded her as she sank to the floor. She no longer wanted to find Harry, not after James and Lily. She wouldn't be able to handle it, no matter how many bodies she had seen, even of infants, all dead by Lord Voldemort's wand; they weren't her friends, her family. She would have stayed all night, crying on the floor if not for someone, Sirius, pulling her up to her feet, holding her tight and close. She could feel him crying too. 

Jasmine raised a hand that wiped away half her tears when she saw a bundle of blankets move around in the crib. "Wait," she whispered, not daring to believe. She broke apart from Sirius and walked over to the blankets. Neither knew what she had really seen, but both knew what she thought she saw. As she inched closer, both she and Sirius held their breaths, unsure whether the next tears would be for joy or more pain. Jasmine reached the bundle. Bending over, she gently picked it up. Laughter and tears came at the same time as the witch cradled the bundle. 

"He's alive." She could barely get the words out she was so happy, so relieved. Sirius almost began to cry as well as he flew across the room in two quick steps. They hugged, kissed, and coddled Harry like he was all they had left, which he nearly about was. But that didn't matter, Harry was alive. They knew they needed to raise him, but they didn't think of that. They knew life would never be the same again, not for Harry and not for them, but they didn't think of that either. Never again would Harry be sung to sleep by his mother's soft voice, or have his father to read to him in the middle of the night. Never again would Sirius and Jasmine carry out some random prank with James just to be scolded by Lily, or be able to sit down with them and have a late night laugh with a cup of coffee. The voices of Lily and James Potter would never be heard again, expect in memory, but they didn't think of that. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Suddenly, the noise of someone moving around downstairs was heard. 

Jasmine turned to Sirius, handing Harry to him. "Guard him. If whoever it is gets past me, you have to stop them." 

Sirius nodded in agreement as he knew Jasmine was more than capable of taking care of herself, and that arguing with her in the state of mind she was bound to be in with Lily and James gone could prove to be suicidal. 

Jasmine reached behind her and pulled out, not a wand, but a knife. She had had the knife for as long as she liked to remember and preferred it and her hand to hand fighting skills to her wand in most fights when she could. She found it more satisfying than using a wand because of her parent's belief that only pureblood wizards and witches should have that honor and should always be able to use it. But also known was that if whoever was downstairs was a rat who'd come to check up on the place, Jasmine would go in for a kill, and the Ministry of Magic would be able to trace Avada Kedavara back to her easily, but they wouldn't be able to trace the knife because it was not magic-based. It was a knife like Muggles used, and most at the Ministry knew nothing about tracing those, and those who did weren't always held in the highest regard. They knew that if she killed him with magic the ministry would lock her up, even if she somehow proved it to be self defense, because those with positions of power did not like her fast rise to authority and power within the Ministry. The only reason Sirius didn't try to stop her from possibly killing whoever was downstairs was because he wanted to see the bloody traitor who murdered his best friends dead just as much as Jasmine did. And was very much. 

-------------------------------------------- 

After about five minutes, Sirius still hadn't heard any new commotion, but he wasn't too worried about Jasmine because he knew she could take somebody out so quickly and silently that her victim wouldn't even know he was dead. He had seen her do it before, during their missions for Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. 

Then he heard someone start up the stairs and head for the door. He knew one thing: It wasn't Jasmine. Not even if she tried would she be able to make that much noise as she walked, at least without magic. He held Harry in a protective position – to the side and slightly behind him – to shield him from and spells that might come his way and he held his wand at the ready. 

The door swung open and Sirius put his arm down in relief. There was no mistaking the identity of who had been heard downstairs. 

"Hagrid." Only then did it register in Sirius's mind that he might have just lost his cousin too. The realization must have shown on his face because Hagrid swiftly walked over to him and placed a large hand on his shoulder. 

Sirius looked up into Hagrid's beetle black eyes, shining with tears. "At least little Harry made it." 

Sirius sat down and began cradling Harry once more. He was muttering, "My fault…Didn't mean to…All my fault." 

"It wasn' yer fault, Sirius. It was all You-Know-Who's doin'. Don' blame yerself." Hagrid pulled out a large handkerchief and blew his noise loudly. 

But Sirius only sat in silence, tears forming once more. James only switched to Peter because he, Sirius, had suggested it. It was his fault. 

"Sirius, could I…could I have him?" Hagrid looked at Harry and held out his arms to hold him. Sirius nodded slowly and placed Harry in Hagrid's arms, just as Jasmine had placed Harry in his, and burried his face in his hands. Hagrid then turned around and starting walking out the door. 

"Wait! What are you doing?" Sirius had leapt to his feet and was following Hagrid down the hall having heard him start to leave. 

"I'm takin' him ter go an' live with his aunt an' uncle. Dumbledore's orders," the gargantuan man said sadly. 

"No, Hagrid! I'm his godfather, I'll look after him." Sirius was now truly worried he would lose someone else. He knew Hagrid would never go against Dumbledore's orders. Sirius was cussing in his mind. Why hadn't he just held onto Harry? 

"Look, it's not like I wouldn' if I could, but Dumbledore said he's off ter live with the Muggles, an' that's where I'm takin' him. I already had this talk with yer cousin and she went off ter see Dumbledore. There's no more I'm sayin' 'bout it." His words were hard, but his eyes looked pained. 

"No!" Sirius looked determinedly at Harry. But if Jasmine was talking to Dumbledore, then there was nothing left to do but wait. He didn't know where Lily's relatives lived. "Take my motorcycle, I won't need it anymore." 

Hagrid turned around. "Are yeh sure, Sirius?" 

"Yeah, it'll be faster and safer anyways." Sirius walked around Hagrid to leave before him. He didn't want to watch them go. Turning around, he whispered, "Good-bye, Harry. I love you." 

Once next to the road, he sat down on the curb and heard Hagrid come out and get on the motorbike. In truth, Sirius didn't really know why he gave his motorcycle to Hagrid except that it reminded him of happier times, times he'd never know again, of things he didn't want to remember. He knew that if Dumbledore's mind was made up Jasmine couldn't change it, and all Sirius wanted to do, was give up. Sirius watched as Hagrid and Harry faded into the night, trying to look away. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Jasmine had taken out her knife and silently crept downstairs of the ruins of the Potter house. She knew how to sneak, spy, attack, and defend, but first, she wanted to see who it was. Bending down, she hid herself in the shadows, waiting for any sign of movement. 

Then she saw the silhouette of whomever it was by the doorframe that led into the hall. And there was no mistaking that silhouette. It was Hagrid. 

Jasmine stood up and put the knife back in her belt. "Hagrid," she called out to him, "what are you doing here?" 

Hagrid looked around and saw Jasmine. "Oh, hullo, Jasmine." He seemed to be very shaken. "What am I doin' here? I'm here ter get Harry an' take him ter live with his aunt an' uncle." 

"What?" 

"Dumbledore's orders." 

"No! Hagrid, no! You can't take him to live with those…those…people! You'll be condemning him!" She was dreaming! She had to be dreaming! This couldn't happen! It wasn't real! 

"Well I'm sorry, Jas, but that's Dumbledore's sayin', not mine." 

"Well I'll be seeing Dumbledore. Be sure to tell Sirius, he's upstairs." Jasmine turned on her heel and walked out the door, half convinced she'd wake up at any moment, which never came. 

Hagrid headed upstairs to find Sirius and Harry, to carry out Dumbledore's orders. 

------------------------------------------- 

Jasmine was out the front door and walking down the street. She was angry. Angry at Voldemort, angry at Pettigrew, angry at Dumbledore, and even at Hagrid for listening to Dumbledore. She had just lost two of her best friends and she wasn't going to lose anyone else, especially not her godson. _'What am I doing?' _she thought to herself. _'Dumbledore will be gone by the time I get there.' _And she apparated to Privet Drive. Where Lily had last said her sister lived. 

When she got there, she saw that none of the lampposts were lit. That meant Dumbledore was still there for sure. She spotted him and hurried over. He was talking with Professor McGonagall, something that didn't surprise Jasmine at all. 

When Dumbledore saw her, he said, "Jasmine, I'll admit I'm actually surprised to see you here. I…" 

Jasmine cut him off. "I want Harry." 

Dumbledore looked taken aback. He had expected her to arrive and make such demands, only not on Privet Drive and not so soon after the Potters' death. Because at this time, the only way she could know Harry was on his way was if she had been to Godric's Hollow recently. 

"Now, Jasmine," Professor McGonagall tried to create what she hoped would be a civilized conversation that would make Jasmine see reason, "I know you are upset…" 

But Jasmine wouldn't take anything from McGonagall either. She may have at Hogwarts, but she was no longer at school and this wasn't about her, Sirius, and James hexing Severus Snape so that every time he opened his mouth to speak, his nose would begin to run to which they would respond by calling him 'Snivellus' as he ran for some form of paper towel. They weren't debating about detention times interfering with Quidditch matches. "Upset? OF COURSE I'M UPSET! MY BEST FRIENDS ARE DEAD AND YOU ARE SENDING THEIR SON OFF TO LIVE WITH THE SCUM OF THE WORLD WHEN IT'S MY RESPOSIBILITY TO RAISE HIM! MINE AND SIRIUS'S!" 

"Miss Black," Dumbledore tried again, "I know this matter has affected you greatly, but I was going to talk to you about…" 

"LIKE HELL YOU WERE!" Tears formed in her eyes once again, and she felt it useless to try and stop the flow. She never remembered feeling like this before, so much betrayal, it was too much. 

"…about complications that I cannot allow to be eluded from my attention. This is the safest place for Harry to stay. And in an effort to see that Harry's family does not feel threatened by his presence, you are not to have any contact with them; or with Harry for that matter, at least not while he is living in the Muggle world." His words didn't seem too thought out, they sounded almost like an excuse for something in disguise. 

"What?! I'm his godmother! He needs me!" 

"Jasmine, I do not want this to be made more difficult than it already is, but they can offer a protection for him that you could never…" 

"I KNOW WHAT KIND OF PROTECTION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW IF VOLDEMORT WERE TO COME TO THEIR DOOR, HELL, JUST COME TO THIS STREET, THEY WOULD GLADLY GIVE HARRY TO HIM! HIS PARENTS DIED - DIED - TO SAVE HIM AND I WOULD GLADLY DO THE SAME! THEY NEVER WOULD! IF IT WAS THE MOST LILY AND JAMES COULD DO, IT'S THE MOST ANYONE CAN DO! AND IF I WEREN'T IN THE COMPANY OF MY PROFESSORS I'D TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT HARRY'S 'FAMILY' ARE: A LIST OF WORDS ABOUT HALF A MILE LONG, MOST OF WHICH YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE MEANING OF!" Jasmine was now crying like she never had in her life, her shortness of breath from yelling not mattering. She had already shed more tears in these few hours than the rest of her years combined. Her life was crashing down at this moment, and she felt powerless to stop it. Dumbledore would never give in; but what Jasmine didn't realize was that in all that had just happened, she had never told Dumbledore that Pettigrew was the spy. 

"Miss Black, I am truly…" But Jasmine didn't stay for another word. She quickly apparated back to Godric's Hollow, not realizing that she had forgotten to say the one thing she needed to. "…sorry." 

McGonagall looked at Dumbledore. "Now really, Albus, the poor girl heartbroken. Why not let her see the baby? You know what he means to her." 

"Yes, I do, but did you not hear her say 'mine and Sirius's'?" 

"I did, but I don't see what that has to do with anything. Sirius cares for the child too." 

"On the contrary, Professor. You see, Sirius Black was the one who betrayed Lily and James." 

For the first time in her life, Minerva McGonagall was speechless. But it wasn't long before the silence was absorbed by the dull roar of a motorcycle sounding in the distance. 

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After she apparated, Jasmine found herself back at the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. She began walking towards the Potters' house, all the way wiping her tears. As she neared the place this nightmare began, she noticed Sirius sitting on the curb. Sitting down next to him, neither said a word. 

For a while they sat in silence, then Jasmine stood, realizing her blunder. "C'mon, Sirius, we gotta get outta here. No one else knows about Pettigrew." 

Sirius nodded in realization of what she said and stood as well, but he didn't take in the seriousness of what she said, not really. The Ministry would come looking for him, but Azkaban was the last place on his mine. He couldn't stay put and he couldn't go home. 

"Is your place safe?" he asked his cousin, beginning to come back to his senses. 

"It should be," she replied, "at least for tonight." 

They both walked to the edge of Godric's Hollow and apparated to Jasmine's apartment. They spent the rest of the night in mourning, their friends were gone, their godson was gone, Sirius was sure to be wanted by that time. With everything that had happened, all so suddenly, they didn't even think of the other person who knew they were illegal animagus, besides Dumbledore, they had forgotten to tell Moony. 

_**A/N: How is the story going so far?**_


	2. November 1, 1981

At about one in the morning, Jasmine and Sirius decided they should get some sleep. They woke up at eleven, Jasmine lying on a sofa hugging a pillow and using her cloak as a blanket, Sirius reclined on a loveseat half covered by a blanket. Neither had bothered to change.

When they woke, neither were very hungry, so it was just a cup of coffee each and they headed out the door. The ministry would be looking for Sirius by now, and Jasmine was sure to be questioned about him. Her apartment was no longer safe.

They decided last night to hold their own private funeral for Lily and James as Sirius wouldn't likely be invited to any other. They walked to the Potters' house, about an hour or so away, stopping only to dodge into a deserted alley to transform into their safer, Animagus forms; Sirius a great bear-like black dog and Jasmine a small fox, completely black except for a white tip on the end of her tail, which gave her the nickname 'Whitetip', or, more commonly, 'Tips' for short.

They were careful to avoid people and stay as much in the cover of shadows as possible, so they reached Lily and James's place virtually unnoticed, at least by anyone they wanted to avoid. They went to the backyard and into the wood behind it. They stopped when they came to a stream, not very large, but large enough for swimming on warm days. After making sure they were alone, they transformed back into people.

---------------------------------------------

The water was cold, but Jasmine still sat down, took off her shoes, and put her feet in it. Sirius sat next to her. This is what they wanted to do for a funeral, come to the, sit in silence, and remember. They didn't want to say good-bye because they knew Lily and James would live on in them, just as they would live on in their son.

Jasmine remembered how after a few months Lily and James were married she, Sirius, and Remus Lupin decided it would be a good idea to move in with them because of the growing threat of Voldemort. It never occurred to them why Peter didn't want to, or to talk to Lily before dropping in on her unexpectedly, carrying luggage and saying, "It's nice to know we're welcome!" while pointing at a weakly chuckling James and telling her how he said yes, they could move in.

After Dumbledore discovered that Voldemort was looking for James and Lily, however, he thought it would be best if they all moved out so Voldemort wouldn't be able to get them all at once, which they did.

Sirius remembered a time from that summer when the Marauders – minus Peter because he was 'busy' – Lily, and Harry were at the same stream. Lily and Jasmine were relaxing and tanning in a clearing near where he was now while he, James, and Remus decided it was high time to teach Harry to swim. Of course, under some stupid impulse, they took off his floaties, and although Harry's head never went underwater, unfortunately for them, Lily still wasn't happy. When the girls found out what they had done, and after making sure Harry was perfectly fine and setting him safely aside and out of harms way, Jasmine helped Lily in attempting to drown them all, which they almost did.

---------------------------------------------

They sat in silence, remembering the past until it was almost dusk. Jasmine didn't even realize her feet had turned blue, she just wanted to rest her feet in the stream for one last time. After about five more minutes, Jasmine and Sirius turned to each other in a horrible realization: Remus. They had forgotten to tell their best friend and fellow Marauder about Peter being the spy, and the Potters being dead. By now, though, he was sure to believe, like the rest of the wizarding community, that Sirius was the murderer.

"We need to tell him!" Jasmine leapt up and put her shoes back on.

Sirius got up as well, but told Jasmine, "Wait, it's starting to get late. We can't just apparate over because he'll never believe us over Dumbledore without Peter. We should talk to Moony tomorrow; just find a place to rest tonight." As he said the last part, Sirius looked a little bit to the left and across the stream.

Jasmine knew what he was getting at. About two years ago, unknown to Lily, the Marauders built a treehouse to continue their pranking in secret as Lily had recently banned them from doing it in the house. This was one of the few things that Lily didn't know about the Marauders as Jasmine – though still a Marauder through and through – had told her just about everything else there was to know.

So Sirius and Jasmine went to the treehouse, to spend the night in a place unknown to the outside world.

**_A/N: Review please, and read my other fics too, if you want, thanks!_**


	3. November 2, 1981

_**A/N: I'm not very happy with this chapter, it doesn't run as smoothly as I'd like it to.  
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except my OC.**_

After a drafty night in a treehouse, Sirius and Jasmine came up with the plan: They would hunt down Peter. Split up to find him quicker. Use two-way mirrors to keep in touch – which were more like three-way mirrors since by the end of fourth year Jasmine had perfected a third mirror to work like Sirius's and James's so they could all talk while in separate detentions. Jasmine, however, would first go to Remus – since she probably wasn't wanted – to try and get him to believe in Sirius's innocence and help them find Peter.

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Sirius headed for London in his Animagus form – just to be sure he wouldn't miss Pettigrew – while Jasmine, in human form, apparated to the town Remus resided in.

As she walked to Remus's flat, Jasmine thought of what she would say, believing all the while that Remus would believe her. After all, they were close. Not only had they been fellow Marauders together, but they had been dating since third year, and had known crushes – to each other – on the other since first; they had even lost their virginities to each other. And she had heard from Lily, who heard from James, who heard from Sirius, who heard from Peter, who heard from Remus, that Remus was going to propose to her very soon. So she did some 'digging' and, without Remus's knowledge, had found it to be true. She knew he would believe her, he had to.

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As Remus's flat came into view, Jasmine saw Remus shadowed in the window reading what looked like a letter.

Jasmine walked to the front door and knocked. She watched as Remus got up and left sight of the window. "Remus!" she yelled. "Remus Lupin, I know you're in there! Now open the door!" She paused to see if he would let her in, but he didn't. "Remus!"

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Remus Lupin hadn't slept all night; the day before he had received a letter from Dumbledore. He had read it over and over for more than twenty-four hours, each time hoping it would say something different, each time receiving the same shock he had gotten the first time he read to cursed letter.

**_Dear Mr. Lupin,  
_**  
_I am sorry to say it is my soulful duty to inform you of the death of Lily and James Potter. They were betrayed by Sirius Black and murdered at the hand of Lord Voldemort on 31 October, 1981. Their son, Harry, had somehow survived Voldemort's attack and vanquished him. I hope you do not dwell in the past, but move on to what may be a brighter future._

**_Albus Dumbledore  
Headmaster of Hogwarts  
_**  
Remus was reading the letter for well over the hundredth time when he heard a knock on the door. He didn't know who it was, and he couldn't care less. Lily and James were dead because Sirius had betrayed them. He got up and left sight of the window, hoping whoever it was would take a hint and go away.

His visitor, however, was not easily discouraged, as Remus found out, when he heard, "Remus! Remus Lupin, I know you're in there! Now open the door!" He recognized the voice. It was Jasmine. He knew why she was there, but he didn't want to see anyone at the moment, especially Jasmine. He knew she would never agree with Dumbledore about Sirius, and he didn't blame her. Sirius was the only blood relative she acknowledged besides her sister, Andromeda, whom she doesn't see or talk to for years at a time. But he believed Dumbledore's word, even if he couldn't believe it. He stayed silent and away from the windows and door.

"Remus!" Jasmine wasn't giving up, and he knew that if she hadn't left by now, she never would. Remus sighed and went to open the door.

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The door swung open and Jasmine came face to face with Remus Lupin who looked very different from the last time she had seen him, only four days ago.

Being a werewolf, Remus never looked in picture perfect health, but now he looked starved and devastated; as if he hadn't eaten or slept for weeks, not just the twenty-four hours it was sure to have been.

"Remus, look at you!" Jasmine exclaimed. "You need to get something to eat, you look half dead!"

"Me? Look at you," Remus let Jasmine in and steered her to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

Jasmine quickly concluded that she had never looked worse. Her usually fair, tanned, unblemished skin was pale and clammy; her normally flowing, silky black hair fell lank and greasy to her waist; her clothes were now tattered and dirty from so much wear; and misery was etched in every inch of her face. Her tears had long dried up leaving streaks down her cheeks, and her eyes, looking dead, held no sign of life.

But she didn't care as she would have were circumstances different. She just disregarded her appearance, more important matters needed to be discussed.

"Remus," Jasmine said, "this is important. Please, hear me out."

"Haven't I always?"

"This isn't time to make jokes, please."

"Sorry. But I think I know what this is about, and I want you to know that I believe Dumbledore's word." Remus now looked solemn.

"You can't! Sirius is innocent, Pettigrew is to blame!" Jasmine fought to hold off tears. Crying was the last thing she needed to do now.

"Jasmine, look, I know where you're coming from, but I can't believe you. Sirius was their Secret Keeper."

"They switched. They didn't tell me either, not until it was too late." Her voice was breaking.

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe you, not when Dumbledore has given his word that it was Sirius." Jasmine could hear Remus's voice begin to break as well.

"So why can't you believe me?" Jasmine had given in, she had to cry. "I'm not asking you to believe Sirius! I'm asking you to believe me when I say we need to find Pettigrew! Before it's too late, before he gets Harry too! I need your help."

"Jasmine…I can't," Remus looked away from her. "I'm really sorry."

"If you can't trust me, how can you trust anything we may have?"

"Jasmine, I do trust you! And everything we have!" Desperation was woven into Remus's voice; he realized what she was saying. "But I can't believe you about Sirius and Peter."

"You still don't trust me." Jasmine headed for the front door, still crying.

"What? Wait! Jasmine, I love you!" Remus was crying as well now, Jasmine could hear him.

She turned around to face Remus. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Then I hope you can learn to love again." With that, she left.

--------------------------------------------

When Jasmine left, she decided to walk to London to help Sirius in his search. She knew apparating would be faster and more efficient than walking, but there was always the off chance that she would run into Pettigrew along the way, but more so because she didn't feel like facing Sirius just then and having to tell him what had just happened.

She knew the walk would be very long, but that would give her time to rest and eat, after two days she was beginning to get very hungry, and this afternoon's event had robbed her of most of her strength, physical and emotional.

Jasmine didn't know why she walked out on Remus, except that he wouldn't believe her and she had always valued trust more than almost anything else. A part of her wanted to go back because she knew she was wrong, but for once, pride had nothing to do with it; that was the part of her that held all her reason, rationale, and sanity. It was temporarily lost.

--------------------------------------------

A couple of hours after nightfall, Jasmine came upon an old muggle inn that was falling apart. She went into the lobby, which was covered with cobwebs, dust, mold, and other fungus, and found the hopeful – yet stupid – owner who was trying to keep his inn alive.

This man looked fairly desperate, so Jasmine figured she could get a room for the little muggle money she kept in her pocket for emergencies.

--------------------------------------------

As it turned out, she could – although Jasmine had thought it was more because the poor man had at first thought she was a ghost or something and screamed something about hauntings before she reached out and grabbed his arm to attempt to communicate with him.

Even though she was in a muggle place, Jasmine knew how just about everything worked thanks to all the time she spent with Lily in the muggle world - she had usually just slept through Muggle Studies.

After she got a stubborn vending machine to spit out something edible, Jasmine went up to her room and ate for the first time in a while.

When she was finished, she went to take a shower. The water was on the cold side and the showerhead was almost completely rusted up, but with the help of some extremely hard, crusty soap and a rag meant to be a facecloth, she managed to wash away her tears streaks so they were almost invisible, and by using the tiny, ancient bottle of shampoo, she managed to put some of the flowing back in her hair as well as some of its regular silky look. She got out and wrapped a tattered towel around herself and used the tub to wash her cloths after removing her wand, knife, and mirror.

It would have again been faster and simpler to use magic, but somehow Jasmine always felt cleaner, and better, doing these things the muggle way.

--------------------------------------------

While her clothes were drying, Jasmine took her mirror.

"Padfoot," she told it. Sirius's face appeared in her mirror.

"Hey, you look a little better," Sirius said with a small, forced grin.

"Yeah, I feel a little better. You get anything to eat yet?"

"I stopped to get a bit of something, yeah. Now how about Remus?"

"He…he didn't believe me." Jasmine held back the tears she felt swell up.

"Oh, Jasy." Sirius felt and looked so sorry for her. He knew what Moony was to her.

"No, don't. I'm fine. It's fine. Everything's fine," Jasmine paused. "Well, sort of." She cleared her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Jasy."

"Look, we have to concentrate on getting Pettigrew. You bunking down for the night?"

"Yup, are you?" He still sounded a little worried for his cousin, and about how she changed subjects so quickly. He wanted to make sure she would be alright.

"Yeah, where are you?"

"Just outside London, northwest. Why? If you're walking to London…"

"I'll apparate there a few minutes before dawn, I'm not gonna find him out here in the dark. I mean, why would he be here?"

"Alright then. And Jasy, promise you'll talk with me later, even if you don't think you need to."

"Yeah…sure. 'Night Pads."

"'Night Tips... and we _are_ talking."

Jasmine nodded and they each put their mirror away and quickly drifted to a peaceful place of memories from long ago.


	4. November 3, 1981

Jasmine woke the next morning before daybreak. She found her clothes dry and changed into them out of the towel. After hiding her wand, knife, and mirror in her pocket, belt, and cloak – the knife and mirror so they wouldn't be recognized as what they were – she went down to the lobby and checked out. As soon as the foolish owner was out of sight, Jasmine apparated to where she thought Sirius would be.

---------------------------------------------

As it turned out, she found she was right when she located a large, black dog that seemed to be talking in his sleep with barks that sounded oddly like words.

She slipped her foot out of her shoe and nudged Sirius between his shoulder blades. As he woke up, he made a motion as to bite Jasmine's foot – the thing that had disturbed his rest cycle – but Jasmine quickly drew it away before he could. After looking around for any other person, Sirius transformed back into one and grinned sheepishly at Jasmine.

"Sorry."

"Yeah. C'mon, let's go."

---------------------------------------------

The two cousins again split up, Sirius searching the west side of the city while Jasmine searched the east. They would meet twice, in the center and in the south center.

It was late in the day, but early in the afternoon when Jasmine started for the London center. Unknown to her, Sirius was already there.

---------------------------------------------

Sirius turned a corner two blocks from where he and Jasmine were going to meet. And there he was: Pettigrew, in a street full of people.

Sirius didn't think to wait for Jasmine or contact her, just to stop Pettigrew from taking one more breath of free air. He knew Pettigrew should go to Azkaban, but Sirius wanted to kill him, like he had killed James.

Sirius walked up to Pettigrew. "You killed them, you rat. Now I'll kill you."

Pettigrew turned around to face Sirius, he was crying.

'If the traitor's so afraid to die, he never should have become a Death Eater,' Sirius thought.

"Lily and James, Sirius, how could you?" Pettigrew sobbed.

"What?" Sirius's voice was barely audible. He went for his wand. He never saw Pettigrew holding his behind his back.

As soon as Sirius had his wand out, the street was blown up. Sirius saw muggles fall dead and watched in horror as Pettigrew quickly cut off his finger and transformed before he could utter a word or hex.

'He's going to get away with it,' Sirius thought. 'The rat framed me.'

Ministry officials were arriving. Muggles were running around and screaming. Sirius saw and heard none of it, not even as a trained Hit Squad began to carry him away. All Sirius did, all he could do, was laugh at the iconicity of it all.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine was nearing the predetermined meeting place when she heard a commotion going on. She decided to check it out.

She was horrified at what she saw. Bodies were everywhere, Sirius was standing in as much shock as she, Pettigrew had just faked his own death.

The ministry was arriving, and Jasmine realized why they were there: they were going to take Sirius from her, too.

"NOOO!" Jasmine pushed her way through the crowd. She had to get to Sirius. "NOOOO! HE'S INNOCENT! INNOCENT! SIRIUS!" But Sirius never heard her, he just laughed.

Jasmine cried again and began screaming even louder of Sirius's innocence as ministry officials approached, trying to calm her down. She fought to get past them.

"Miss Black! Miss Black!" one of the said, "You must calm down!"

Jasmine took one last look at her cousin and realized 'this is it', the ministry was going to take her out like they said so very much wanted to, in the only way possible: they would make her appear to be crazy. And she had only helped them do it.

"Miss Black, you will need to be sent to St. Mungo's until we can be sure of your state of mind after experiencing this great tragedy."

"What?! No! He's innocent! SIRIUS! NO!"

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine was locked in a solitary room, without her wand. All exits were locked, so – even though she didn't need her wand to do magic – she would need it if she wanted to get out, or a small lock pick.

She remembered how she had hid her knife earlier that morning, and, realizing she still had it, took it out of her belt.

She walked over to a small bed with a mattress on it.

"You had better be spring," she told it. She cut off a part of the top and saw that it was. Very carefully, yet hastily, she pulled out a spring and bent it to be straight.

After putting the knife away again, she picked to lock on the small window. She opened it and found out it was too small for even her to fit through.

"For me, but not Tips," she said to herself, and transformed into the small, black fox.

After reclaiming her freedom, Jasmine ran to a dark, deserted ally. There, she transformed back and apparated just off the island where Azkaban was, in the sea, as close as she could get.

"Oh, CRAP!"

She wasn't that far from shore, so she swam to it and ran inside, looking for Sirius; Jasmine knew he would be there by now.

Jasmine had been to Azkaban before, on ministry business, so the dementors let her be, assuming that was why she was there now. She heard Sirius pleading his innocence and Pettigrew's guilt from behind a door Jasmine knew contained a room to which prisoners were first brought if they weren't getting a trial – they still needed to be told why they were being arrested.

Jasmine burst in there to find four dementors standing guard and Bartimus Crouch Sr. leering over Sirius, who was chained to a chair.

"Let him go." Jasmine had never used so much force in three words.

Crouch turned to face her. "Ahh, Miss Black, nice to see you out and about, I suppose."

"Shut it, Crouch! It's Pettigrew you need to find."

"But he's already been found," Crouch said as he pointed to a small table supporting a small box. Jasmine looked in the box and saw a mutilated, bloody finger.

"That's a finger!... You... Find Pettigrew!"

"Miss Black, I have yet to understand why you are here at all, or why you are soaking wet." Crouch was losing his temper.

"Just shut up and give him a trial!"

"I don't have time to give this scum a trial, lucky I even have time to tell him what he's in for, as if he doesn't know. Azkaban is under my surveillance, Miss Black, and I don't want you here at all anymore, so if you don't want to go back, I suggest…"

"NO! I suggest that you give Sirius a trial by the end of a week!"

"Are you threatening me, Miss Black?"

Jasmine knew this wasn't getting her anywhere, but she also knew she had yet to settle the score. "No, Crouch, I'm not threatening _you_." And with that, she was dragged out of the room. "He better get that trial! He's innocent, I'll prove it to you!"

Jasmine was taken outside the prison walls and given a portkey back to main London.

---------------------------------------------

Sirius sighed and lowered his head, but not in defeat. He knew Jasmine would never let him down, but now he was alone. Completely and utterly alone, except for the dementors, always standing guard. Sirius looked around his small, bare cell and admitted to himself that things had never looked worse.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine got back to London and for the first time as far as she could remember, didn't know what to do. She had no where to go, no one to turn to. She went back to her apartment to try and find comfort in…something, she didn't quite know what.


	5. November 5, 1981

_**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs.**_

"Auntie J! Auntie J! Mummy told me to get your lazy butt out of bed! Wake up! Wake up!" Crash. "Oops."

Jasmine groaned and pushed herself into a sitting position. She looked into the face of her nine-year-old niece, Nymphadora Tonks, who had just knocked over a lamp.

"It's okay, sweetie," Jasmine told her. She pointed her wand as the lamp, "Reparo," and it was fixed. "See? Good as new."

"I wish I could do that!" Nymphadora looked up at her aunt in awe.

Jasmine chuckled. "You'll learn in time, don't worry. I mean, you can already – bang – change your appearance, and I'm stuck looking like this."

The little girl laughed.

"So, what did your mother want?"

"Breakfast!" She grabbed Jasmine's hand and led her into the kitchen. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the room.

"Morning, Anda," Jasmine told a witch cooking in a bathrobe as Nymphadora sat down.

"Morning, Jasmine. And please don't call me that," came the answer.

A man entered the kitchen, also wearing a bathrobe – Nymphadora and Jasmine were still the only ones wearing just pajamas – and reading a muggle newspaper with a wizarding one under his arm.

"Hey, Ted," Jasmine told him.

"Good morning," he said and went to kiss his wife and daughter. He looked around the kitchen and sat down as Andromeda brought the food to the table. "Well, I'll say I'm really starting to be outnumbered." He got a slight chuckle from everyone as they started to eat.

Very early yesterday morning, Jasmine had come here, to the only relative she liked even a little bit. Even though it had been a few years since they last spoke, Andromeda invited Jasmine to stay as long as she needed. That turned out to be helpful to Nymphadora, who was always asking about her mother's family, as well.

Jasmine wasn't planning on staying very long, she just want to be, or couldn't be, alone just then. She needed someone she could trust, and Andromeda was the last one.

---------------------------------------------

After eating breakfast, Jasmine went back up to her room and was followed by Nymphadora. Jasmine opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a navy blue long-sleeved shirt, nothing was folded.

Nymphadora flopped down on the bed while her aunt turned around to change.

"Where you going?" she asked Jasmine.

Jasmine pulled her shirt on, turned around, and pulled her hair out of her shirt. "What makes you think I'm 'going' anywhere?"

"Because yesterday you told me you don't like to get dressed before noon," Nymphadora said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jasmine laughed and sat down next to her. "I'm going to the ministry, Miss Smarty-Pants."

Her eyes lit up, her mother was the only person she knew able to work at the ministry, and she didn't. "Oooh. Can I come with you?"

"I don't think so, maybe another time."

"Please," the little girl was practically begging and had put on the same puppy face the she, Sirius, and James had often given McGonagall at school to try to get out of detentions.

That did it for Jasmine.

"Oh, alright."

"Yippee!"

"But ask your mother first."

Nymphadora bounded out of the room. Jasmine could hear her begging Andromeda for permission and laughed to herself.

---------------------------------------------

After endless pleading, Ted finally told Andromeda that it would be a 'good experience for her now that the dark guy has gone', and Andromeda agreed to let Jasmine take Nymphadora to the Ministry of Magic.

So Jasmine, who could drive, used the Tonks' car to drive to the visitors' entrance with Nymphadora and Ted, who would use the car after they got there. Andromeda decided it would be a good time to go shopping.

Upon arriving, Ted took the car and Jasmine and Nymphadora got into a solitary phone booth – Ted had, by that time, figured his life would be much simpler if he didn't question the wizarding world.

Jasmine pushed six-two-four-four-two and a voice said, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

Jasmine answered, "Jasmine Black, I work here, and…"

"Then why use the visitors' entrance?"

"I'm here with my niece who wants to visit, her name is Nymphadora Tonks," she told the voice, trying not to explode at it.

"Thank you. Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes," the voice said.

A square badge reading 'Nymphadora Tonks, Visiting Relative' fell into the change slot. Jasmine took it and gave it to Nymphadora. "Here, hon, put this on."

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand…"

"She doesn't have one."

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

"Shut up and go already."

The box shuddered and sunk into the ground for about a minute.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day."

"Sure you do."

The door opened and Jasmine and Nymphadora entered the atrium of the ministry. Nymphadora was awed, but to Jasmine, the building was nothing.

She took her niece to her office, which was very messy, all littered with papers and other stuff.

"Nymphadora…"

"Don't call me that."

"I know, I know. Alright…Nymphy…"

"Auntie J!"

Jasmine laughed. "Sorry, hon. Just stay here for a minute, okay, I have to go find something." She turned to lean out the door. "STALBURD!"

A young boy ran into the office. "Oh, Miss Black, how nice to see you out and about again."

"Yeah, hi. Watch my niece while I get something."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Would you like me to get it?"

"No, no. I'll get it." And she left.

Stalburd looked at Nymphadora. "Hello. Are you Jas's niece?"

"Yes."

"Well, what's your name?"

"Nymphadora, but I hate it."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

Nymphadora nodded her head. "Yes."

"Well then why don't I call you by your surname, like they do ministry officials? I'll get you an assistant's badge instead of the visitor's, and then you'll be like a real employee."

Nymphadora perked up. "Okay! My surname's Tonks, will I really get to be a real assistant?"

Stalburd laughed. "For today, yes. Come on, Tonks." He took her by the hand and led her outside.

"What will my badge look like?" she asked him.

"Like this," Stalburd said and handed Tonks his badge. "Only yours will have your name and 'assistant' on it."

Tonks looked at the badge. It wasn't much different from the one she was wearing, except that it was an oval, said 'Roger Stalburd, Intern', and had the ministry seal at the bottom.

"What's an 'intern'?"

"Well, I'm Jas's intern, and I guess she just shows me how to do her job incase she can't…or doesn't."

"So is that why you have to watch me?"

"No, she's just my boss, so I listen to her."

"Do you like being an 'intern'?"

"Yes! Especially your aunt's. She keeps it so no one can fire me."

Just then, a sinister looking man came out of a door Stalburd and Tonks were passing. "So, I hear Black has finally got enough wits about her to show her face, Stalburd."

"Shut it! And it's _Miss_ Black to you, Macnair!"

The man called Macnair scowled and walked away.

"Come on, Tonks, that guy's a creep."

Tonks quickened her pace a bit. She didn't like the look of that man. "Who is he?"

"His name's Macnair and Jas thinks he's a Death Eater, so I do too. He's here trying to clear his name by getting a job."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know what Death Eaters are?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Death Eaters are very bad witches and wizards. Macnair had been accused of being one, but he convinced everybody that he wasn't – except Jas – and now he wants a job here."

"Oh. Well if Auntie J thinks he's a bad Death Eater, so do I!"

"That's basically what I said. Jasmine's the only one here I actually trust enough to believe, so whatever she believes, I believe too. But I don't want you thinking like that, you hear?"

"Okay."

They went into the elevator and Stalburd pushed a button. The elevator stopped and they got out. Stalburd led her to a locked door. He pointed his wand and the door and said something that made the door unlock.

"A lot of these doors are locked, and you need a certain spell to open them. Every employee has one, a different one, and depending on his or her position, it opens certain doors. Jasmine's opens just about every door, so I just use hers."

"Do I get a spell?"

"Sure, you can use mine, it's 'wasp-wing'."

"Will it really be the only way to unlock doors?"

"Some doors, come on." He pushed open the door and led Tonks inside a room filled with blank badges for employees and visitors. Stalburd picked up an employee badge and slipped it in a slot. He placed his wand on a pad just above the slot and said, "Nymphadora Tonks, intern's assistant." The badge came back out and Stalburd handed it to Tonks. "Here you go. You best give me the other one."

"Oh, thanks!" She took off the visitors badge and gave it to Stalburd - who discarded it - and put on the assistant's one.

They left and went back to Jasmine's office.

---------------------------------------------  
Jasmine just left her office and was heading to a room not many people knew of or even had access to. She went to the bottom floor, found the door, said the spell, and went to a file cabinet. The files were full profiles of everyone in the English Wizarding World. She found the one labeled 'Bartimus Crouch Sr.' and pulled it out, then took it back to her office.

When she got to her office, the first thing she noticed was the Stalburd and Nymphadora weren't there, but she wasn't worried because she trusted Stalburd to keep Nymphadora out of trouble.

---------------------------------------------

Five minutes later, Stalburd and Nymphadora came back. Jasmine wouldn't have even noticed if they hadn't opened and closed the door.

"Hello, Miss Black. Back already?"

"Yup."

"Auntie J! Lookie! Lookie!"

Jasmine looked up. "Sounds like you had fun. What's so exciting?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm an assistant!" she proudly declared.

"Oh, wow! Congratulations, sweetie! Hey, Stalburd, why don't you take her down to the staffroom for a doughnut to celebrate, then we'll all go out to lunch?"

"Yippee! Come on, come on! Staffroom! Doughnuts!"

Stalburd laughed. "Okay then. Miss Black, is half and hour okay?"

"Yes it is."

"Bye-bye," Nymphadora said and left with Stalburd for a doughnut.

When they left, Jasmine resumed reading the file. She chuckled to herself. "At least some of us are enjoying this." After twenty minutes, the file was read and Jasmine was thinking hard, flipping through it. "Hmmm. They don't say much about his son. I wonder where he comes into play." After a couple minutes of pondering, she smiled to herself – she wasn't a Marauder for nothing. "I think I got him."

Ten minutes later, Jasmine headed for the staffroom and was met halfway by Stalburd and Nymphadora, who had frosting on her face.

"Alright," she said, "let's go to the Leaky Cauldron, then ice cream at Florean's."

"Yay!"

"Nymphadora--"

"Can you call me 'Tonks'?"

"Why, like that better?"

Nymphadora nodded her head.

"Alright then, _Tonks_, you ever used floo powder before?"

"A few times."

"Okay, good. Say 'Diagon Alley'," Jasmine instructed as she handed Tonks a pinch of the powder.

Tonks threw it in one of the ministry's large fires and stepped in as it turned bright green. "Diagon Alley." And she was gone.

"You coming, Stalburd?"

"No, ma'am. I think I'll put the file back, if you're done with it."

"Alright. I'm not sure whether we'll be coming back or not then."

"Okay, Miss Black, I'll keep things in balance."

"I hope so. See ya." And she followed Tonks to Diagon Alley.

---------------------------------------------

When she stepped out of the flames, Jasmine spotted Tonks talking with Tom the bartender. Tom saw her first.

"Hello, Miss Jasmine, this young one here says she's your niece."

"That she is. Can we get a table?"

"Take your pick, miss, take your pick."

"Thanks." Jasmine sat at a table near the bar and Tonks sat next to her. They ordered and ate while Tonks filled Jasmine in and the badge and doughnut, which was apparently very good. Jasmine tried to keep the talk merry and cheerful for her niece's sake. When they were finished, they headed to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for ice cream, and then went back to the Cauldron and flooed home.

Tonks went first and when Jasmine came out of the grate she saw that Tonks had wasted no time in finding her mother to fill her in on every detail of her exciting day. Andromeda gave Jasmine a look that said 'We're talking about this later' but was very enthusiastic when responding to her daughter.

Jasmine just said, "Hey, Ande…" – "Andromeda" – "I'm going to bed."

"Fine, then, want something to eat first?"

"No thanks, just breakfast tomorrow." Under her breath, she added, "I'm not stupid enough to corner myself."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Alright, then. Good night."

"Nighty-nighty. Thanks." Jasmine took a quick shower and went into the guest bedroom that she was staying in, closed and locked the door, and sat down. "I guess there's just one thing to do," she said to the empty room. She laid down and went to sleep.

_**A/N: So what'd you think? Please tell me how I'm doing-I've already written to ch 24 and I want to know if the fic's going ok.  
**_


	6. November 10, 1981

It had been a week since Sirius was arrested and Jasmine moved in with Andromeda and her family. Andromeda would often thank Jasmine as much as she thanked Andromeda because Nymphadora looked up to her so much and Andromeda was really starting to rely on Jasmine's help around the house.

This morning, however, Jasmine left Tonks at home and went to the ministry very early. She walked to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement's office and barged in without knocking; Stalburd was at her heels.

"Manners, Miss Black, manners," Crouch said.

Jasmine ignored his comment. "Crouch, are you going to give Sirius Black a trial or not?"

"I have already given my position on the matter," Crouch told her with a sneer and distaste in his voice.

"Fine then. But don't say you weren't warned." Jasmine turned around and left the office. Stalburd followed her after thumbing his nose at Crouch, who looked surprised at this gesture.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine walked alone down dark alleys and sinister buildings, the hood of her black cloak covered her face. She found the building she was looking for and went inside. She went down dank corridors and a few narrow passages, some hidden, before coming to a door. She knocked.

For the second time in almost two weeks, Jasmine was greeted with a wand in her face. She threw down her hood and the wand lowered, but not without suspicion.

"Jasmine," the wizard growled. He nodded his head in recognition of her.

"Rodolphus," Jasmine acknowledged him with an inclination of her head; a hint of amusement was in her voice. "I'm here to see Bella."

She knew her brother-in-law didn't trust her, but he still stepped back and allowed her in. "How do I know you're not being followed?"

Jasmine, being shorter than most all people, motioned for him to come closer. "I'm not." She went inside and saw a sole figure in the shadows. "Bella."

"Jasmine." Bellatrix's voice held no sign of distrust or distaste. "What brings you here?"

"I'm sure you know of…recent events?"

"I do."

"I want Bartimus Crouch brought down."

"I gathered as much."

"I want his son dishonored."

Bellatrix grinned. "Jasmine, you think more and more like a Death Eater every day, yet you never bore the Mark."

Jasmine smiled in a way that showed she was proud of her thinking and Bellatrix's praise. "Yes, as I have already said, it would be rather obvious."

"Yes. But why come here?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Junior a Death Eater?"

"You miss next to nothing, sister."

"Why should we help her?!" Rodolphus could hold his thoughts no longer. "What can she do for us?!" he asked angrily.

"I've already held my tongue when the ministry was looking for you, and I can offer you sanctuary at Azkaban versus a death penalty," Jasmine replied, angry and insulted.

"Why would we want 'sanctuary at Azkaban'?!"

"Hear her out, Rodolphus," Bellatrix told him. "She doesn't mean now."

"Because, you can't find the Dark Lord. When he returns to power, as we all know he will, he won't be very pleased with Death Eaters out of Azkaban who were incapable of locating and assisting him." Jasmine paused for the meaning of her words to sink in. "We all know it is a great honor to go to Azkaban in the Dark Lord's name."

"She's right, Rodolphus. We will be honored beyond all others in the Dark Lord's return if we serve him with imprisonment above all else."

Rodolphus looked very angry. "Why do you listen to her?! She's not one to be trusted!"

"But I do! She has already proven herself more useful than you, incase you forget!"

That shut him up for a moment. "How could I?" he asked darkly.

Bellatrix turned to her sister. "What do you need done?"

"I need Crouch Jr. served with a life sentence."

"He assisted us in the capture and torture of the Longbottoms, now in St. Mungo's. I'm sure you know of this."

In truth, Jasmine hadn't known of this until now. She had heard of additional tortures and murders, but didn't bother to find anything out about them. She was stunned, she had known the Longbottoms at school and in the Order, they were friends. The thought of Sirius, however, allowed her to cover her shock instantly. "I've heard," she said with a grin. "Now, where can he be picked up?"

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine went outside and leaned her back against a wall. Her head was in her hands and she thought of the terrible fate that had befallen Alice and Frank, but she could avenge them. She quickly ridded her mind of their fate and headed to the ministry.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine burst into the Head Auror's office. "I've found those responsible for the Longbottoms' condition!"

The response was astounding. At least twenty Aurors, including the Head, all rushed to follow Jasmine to where the culprits were hiding. Four Death Eaters were arrested, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Bartimus Crouch Jr.

---------------------------------------------

The Head Auror went to Crouch Sr. after the arrest. "Sir, we have found and are holding those responsible for the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom."

"Throw them in Azkaban."

"Sir, I believe you will want to give them a trial."

"Why?" Crouch snapped.

"Four Death Eaters were arrested, sir, and one of them is you son."

Crouch stared at the Auror. His brain was trying to register what was going on. "Very well. A trial. Friday. Tell the Wizengamot." The Auror left and Crouch sat down in a daze.

"Black," he snarled into the emptiness.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine went home in time for supper. She didn't contribute to, or take notice of, much of the small talk; she was concentrating on what had to be done next. The battle was only half over.


	7. November 13, 1981

Friday the thirteenth. Trial day. For Jasmine, though, this was the wrong trial. She was on the Wizengamot and was sitting by Albus Dumbledore and Crouch. She was on speaking terms with Dumbledore, he could never hold a grudge, he even offered her a Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching post, but she declined; Jasmine felt as though she already had too much on her plate, which wasn't a normal feeling for her.

Jasmine looked around the courtroom. No one was smiling or daring to break the awful silence, even to breathe, except for Crouch's wife, a frail, wispy looking thing whimpering into a hanky. Crouch looked like grim death.

Everyone waited in silence, then watched as Crouch said, "Bring them in." and six dementors entered to room, guarding the four prisoners.

Many people looked up at Crouch and starting whispering. Jasmine had a semi-satisfied grin on her face, though she made sure it wasn't too noticeable.

"Your handiwork, I suppose?" Dumbledore whispered into her ear.

Jasmine nodded.

Crouch stood, hatred etched into his face. "You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law so that we may pass judgment on you, for crimes so heinous ---"

"Father," the one recognizable as Crouch's son pleaded, "Father…please…"

"--- that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court," Crouch pressed on, ignoring his son and drowning out his voice. "We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing and Auror – Frank Longbottom – and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ---"

"Father, I didn't!" shrieked Crouch Jr. "I didn't, I swear it, Father, don't send me back to the dementors ---"

"You are further accused of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife," Crouch bellowed, "when he would not give you information. You planned to restore H-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to power, and to resume the lives of violence you presumably led while he was strong. I now ask the jury ---"

"Mother!" the boy screamed. Crouch's wispy wife began sobbing. "Mother, stop him, Mother, I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"

"I now ask the jury," shouted Crouch, "to raise their hands if they believe, as I do, that these crimes deserve a life sentence in Azkaban!"

The jury along the right-hand side of the dungeon raised their hands in unison. The crowd along the walls began clapping with faces full of savage triumph. Jasmines had her elbows resting on the seat in front of her, her hands together and chin resting on them. She gave a quick nod to Bellatrix that went unnoticed by all but her, even when she returned it.

Crouch's son screamed, "No! Mother, no! I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't know! Don't send me there, don't let him!"

The dementors came back into the room. The three Lestranges rose from their seats. Bellatrix looked up at Crouch and called, "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"

"I'm your son! I'm your son!" screeched Crouch Jr., trying to fight off the dementors.

Crouch bellowed back down to him. "You are no son of mine! I have no son!"

Crouch's wife suddenly gasped and fainted without Crouch noticing.

"Take them away!" Crouch roared. "Take them away and may they rot there!"

"Father! Father, I wasn't involved! No! No! Father, please!"

They were all dragged out by dementors. They were gone. The trial was over. All four had received a life sentence. No one moved, even after the dementors left.

Jasmine stood up. "He gave his own son to the dementors. Ouch. Didn't see that one coming." And she turned to leave. At the door, she turned around and said, "By the way, your wife's kinda out of it."

Dumbledore left shortly after Jasmine and caught up with her in the corridor. "Jasmine, don't you think that was taken a little too far?"

"No offence, Professor, but I am way beyond the point of no return."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I understand that. I just found your method a bit, uh, unorthodox."

"Beyond the point of no return, beyond the point of caring. I warned him," Jasmine said, never breaking eye contact with her former Headmaster.

---------------------------------------------

Many miles away, Sirius Black shivered in a cold, dark cell in Azkaban. It was hard for him to remember anything, anything except the horrors of his childhood and James's dead face.

His sanity was slipping. He watched as four people were led by his cell by dementors. He recognized one of them. Bellatrix. She had helped to make his childhood hell. 'She deserves to be here,' he thought bitterly.

Then another memory clouded his mind. Pettigrew framing him, killing James. 'I shouldn't be here. Pettigrew should be.'

"I'M INNOCENT!" he yelled to no one, but his mind needed to hear it.

"I'm innocent." Everything good in his life came flooding back. He could sense the dementors growing restless. They knew he was reclaiming himself. He would defeat their purpose, he had to.

"I'm not going crazy. I'm innocent." Sirius looked around and remembered everything. He couldn't get out.

"I'm innocent." Sirius concentrated with all his will. He transformed into the great, black dog. Relief flooded his veins. How else could he save himself? All hope was not lost. He needed to avenge James.

_**A/N: How was that? Please review.**_


	8. September 15, 1982

Jasmine was sitting with Andromeda and Ted at the kitchen table eating breakfast. The house was unusually quiet. Unknown to her parents, Nymphadora had stayed up late with Jasmine to celebrate her favorite's teddy's fourth birthday. It was well past midnight before either got to bed and Nymphadora was still asleep.

An owl came in with the Daily Prophet and the witches each took the section they liked to read first while Ted read the Muggle paper.

Jasmine was scanning the paper for an interesting article when one caught her eye:

**Son of Ministry Department Head Dead in Azkaban**  
_Bartimus Crouch Junior, son of Bartimus Crouch Senior, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was found dead of natural causes in his cell in Azkaban after going 'insane'. Crouch, 20, was arrested almost one year ago for the confessed torture of Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife, Alice Longbottom, by means of the Cruciatus Curse by Ministry employee Jasmine Black, said to be quite mad herself. Crouch was later imprisoned by his father, who took this to be an extremely humiliating experience, and refuses comment on his son's tragic ending. The body will remain at Azkaban.  
_  
"He's dead," Jasmine barely whispered, giving no regard to her mention in the article.

"Who?" Andromeda asked.

"Crouch Jr."

"Isn't he the one who went in with-?"

"Yes."

"Good riddance to the lot of them then, Jasy."

Jasmine's voice suddenly got dangerous and her eyes flashed deadly. "Don't call me 'Jasy', Andromeda."

"Well I don't see why not. You never complained when Sirius" – she spat out the name like venom – "called you that."

"Sirius is innocent!" Jasmine stood up.

"I know you think that, but-"

"Who's 'Serious'?" Nymphadora walked through the doorway and sat at the table.

Ted, who didn't know much himself about this, stayed out of it. Andromeda just thought in vain of something to tell the ten-year-old daughter, whom she wasn't used to lying to. Jasmine said, "Sirius was my dog when I was a little girl, and your mother and I aren't sure of whether he chased the cat away or not." and sat down.

"Oh," she said and grabbed some toast to butter.

Jasmine got up again. "Well, I have to go."

"Where?"

"To the office."

"Can I come?" Nymphadora asked enthusiastically.

Andromeda nodded her head.

"Alrighty then. Get dressed and get your i.d. and we'll go."

Everyone laughed as Nymphadora ran to her room and kept going without a pause when her slipper slipped off her foot as it got caught on a side table, knocking it over.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the ministry, Jasmine again left Nymphadora, or 'Tonks', with Stalburd so she could go to a trial in half an hour. A ministry employee, Augustus Rookwood, was accused of passing information to Voldemort from inside the ministry. Jasmine sat through the trial as every member of the jury gave Rookwood a life sentence in Azkaban for his crimes.

As Rookwood was being led out by two dementors, Dumbledore, who was sitting next to Jasmine, whispered to her, "I hope to do not plan on causing another disturbance like the one before."

Jasmine looked at her former Headmaster and saw a sad twinkle in his eyes. She decided not to answer.

Instead, she took a deep breath and said, "Hey, Barty. I hear your son's dead. Now, we all know what happened, but how could you have not seen that coming?"

Crouch was too shocked to speak; no one ever talked to him like that, not even the Minister of Magic.

Dumbledore, however, said, "Miss Black, I wonder if you could stay back for a moment? I'd like a quick word if you don't mind."

"Not at all, sir."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After her word with Dumbledore, Jasmine collected Nymphadora and had her wait in her office while she spoke to Stalburd in his office which was really more like a broom closet and the reason he could usually be found in Jasmine's.

"Hey, Stalburd?"

"Yes, Miss Black?"

"What do you think of the case on Sirius Black?"

Stalburd paused, looking thoughtful. "You don't think he did it then?"

"No, I don't," Jasmine said slinking into a chair.

"Then I guess I don't."

"Not just 'cause that's what I said, I hope?"

Stalburd sat in the chair opposite Jasmine's and sighed, obviously thinking hard. "Well, I know you wouldn't take this position just because he's your cousin, I mean you did send your sister to Azkaban, and I also know you'd need good reason; the Potters and Pettigrew were good friends of yours, I know you'd want to avenge them, no matter what it meant. I suppose this is the real reason for waging war against Crouch?"

Jasmine nodded. "It was Pettigrew. Lily told me…musta been just a few hours before she…before it all happened. Why'd you think I was 'waging war' against Crouch?"

"Oh, I just thought he did something to piss you off more than usual."

"In a way, he did."

Stalburd and Jasmine turned to the door as they heard it creak open.

"Um, Auntie J, I have to go to the bathroom. Is there one in your office? I keep getting lost."

"Yeah, but you don't want to use that one. A couple years ago I pulled some files I shouldn't have and the only way not to get caught with them was to flush 'em. The files were ok, but the toilet just hasn't been the same since. So I'll just show you where another one is, yeah," Jasmine ended, standing up hurriedly and showing Nymphadora how to get to the bathroom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, after Nymphadora had been put to bed, Jasmine, Andromeda, and Ted were up drinking coffee in the lounge.

"Hey, Andromeda?"

"Yeah, Jas."

"I'm getting kinda tired of freeloading off you guys, so-"

"Don't be silly! You're family, you're not freeloading!"

"Yes she is."

"Ted!" Andromeda scolded as Jasmine laughed.

Ted shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "At least she can take a joke."

Jasmine laughed even harder at this and said, "That I can." and Andromeda even cracked a smile.

"Well, anyways," Jasmine said, calming her laughter, "I'm going back to Hogwarts."

"Why? When? What'll you do there? You've already graduated!"

"I've been talking to Dumbledore, and he's allowing me to start a club, if you will, to meet after classes two or three times a week."

"What will it be?"

"Muggle defense and fighting tactics; Death Eaters are still everywhere, but you can bet they don't get the first thing about Muggle dueling, at least not properly, anyways. Dumbledore said he could make it an actual class, but I'm no 'Professor', besides Nymphadora's starting next year, and this way you won't have to embarrass her so much being the overprotective mother you are."

"I am not an overprotective mother, young lady!"

"Please, And, you'd wrap her bubble paper if you knew it wouldn't suffocate her."

Andromeda paused as Ted shook his head in agreement with Jasmine. "Oh, alright! So I'm overprotective, is there a problem with that?!"

"No, of course not."

"No, not at all."

Andromeda sighed. "When?" she asked, returning to their previous conversation.

"Tomorrow night, that's when I'll get there."

"Nymphadora's going to miss you. We all are."

"Thanks Ted."

An awkward silence followed and no one could seem to fill it.

Jasmine stood up. "I'll tell her tomorrow. Thanks for everything."

"Oh, don't mention it. I know why you came here, and I'm glad you did."

"Night, Andromeda, Ted."

"Night."


	9. September 16, 1982

The day dawned grey, grim, and dull. Clouds covered the sky and there was a light drizzle of rain. Nymphadora woke up early like she always did on mornings like this one. After a restless ten minutes roaming her father's study, Nymphadora decided to go bug her aunt. Since no one else seemed to be up, she tiptoed down the hall and carefully around the small table she always knocked into. Instead, she accidentally knocked over the one a little farther down.

"Oops."

She walked into Jasmine's room to find her awake, holding a coffee cup, and standing by while staring out the window.

"Auntie J?"

Jasmine turned around to face her. "Yeah, hun?"

"What are ya doing?"

"Nothing."

"Oh. Will you play a game or something with me?"

"Sure, which one?"

"I don't know."

Jasmine chuckled. "Well tell me when you do, alright?"

"Okay."

Jasmine resumed looking out the window. Nymphadora walked over to her to try and see what she was looking at.

"I don't see anything."

"You don't?"

Nymphadora looked around again. "Nope."

"Well I do. Here-" Jasmine got on her knees to level their heights and pointed as she spoke "-there are some birds, see? Right over there. There's a squirrel, eating a nut. And over by that tree there's a dog that's...well, don't look at that dog." She stood up. "See? Lot's to look at."

Nymphadora nodded her head. "Yup, now I see!"

Jasmine smiled. "Good." Looking down at her niece's happy face made her want to continue smiling, but she couldn't. "Nymphadora."

Nymphadora gave her an annoyed look, everyone knew she hated her name.

"We need to talk about something, okay?"

"Yup."

"Here, sit down." Jasmine pointed to her bed and Nymphadora sat down. "Hunny, I'm going away for a while."

"Okay, how long?"

"A long time."

Nymphadora's smile suddenly vanished. "Why?"

"Because I need to see Hogwarts again. You know what Hogwarts is."

Nymphadora nodded sadly. "Will you ever come back?"

"You mean to live here? No, not always, only during school vacations. How's that sound?"

"NO! I want you to stay here!" Nymphadora's eyes being to fill with tears as she ran to Jasmine and threw her arms around her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I have to do this."

Nymphadora started crying and Jasmine hugged her tightly. "I'm gonna miss you too. I'll think about you all the time, okay? I'll write whenever I can." Jasmine started tearing as well. She had no idea her niece would take it like this. "And I'll still be there next year, when you start."

"I know, but I want you here now!"

"I know, I know."

---------------------------------------------

It was 4:18pm and Jasmine had finished packing. She was going to apparate to Hogsmeade with her old school trunk and get to Hogwarts in time for supper.

Good-byes were long and sad; Jasmine had become as much a part of the family as any of them, and no one wanted to see her leave. But Jasmine needed to, Hogwarts was her last connection to the Marauders, and she needed them, all of them. Even Pettigrew; he hadn't always been a traitor, he had once been her friend.

Jasmine drew her cloak tightly around her and securely held her trunk. With a last wave good-bye, she apparated into the streets of Hogsmeade. She walked down the familiar path she hadn't seen since seventh year and stopped at the doors.

Jasmine looked around and remembered everything from her school days. She even saw the Marauders, a wolf, rat dog, stag and fox, standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She knew it was in her mind, but she felt she was home at last. The Marauders could always be found at Hogwarts.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine knew where her room was; it was the old Head Dorm. Apparently too many fights had broken out between past Heads that Dumbledore had discontinued use of the room.

She lugged her trunk outside the hidden door and said her chosen password, 'Marauders'. It looked just as it had when Lily and James had been Head Girl and Boy. She dropped off her trunk and headed for the Great Hall. Jasmine remembered every passageway and trick stair, but then again, she _was_ a Marauder.

She got to the Great Hall and noticed three seats left at the Head Table. One was Dumbledore's, so she took the one next to Professor McGonagall. It took five minutes for all the students and the two Professors to file in.

Jasmine looked to the teacher who sat on her right and recognized that teacher. He was the only new one at the table as far as she could tell, besides the DADA teacher which changed every year.

"Snivellus!"

"Black," Snape, a.k.a. Snivellus, snarled at her.

"Severus, Jasmine, please! Can you try to get along?" Professor McGonagall interrupted their would-be fight.

Snape and Jasmine each sent a disgusted look at each other before edging their chairs apart.

Silence fell over the Great Hall as Dumbledore rose. "As you may notice, there is a new addition to our staff table, Miss Jasmine Black. Miss Black will be starting a program after classes to teach Muggle defense and fighting. The first meeting is this upcoming Monday and you are all welcome to attend. Now, all formal business aside, _tuck in_." And the golden plates in front of staff and students magically filled with food.

Jasmine suddenly felt good inside, like she had when she ran away from her childhood home with Sirius. She knew she made the right decision in coming here - this was her life. everything important to her was connected here. She smiled, filled her plate, and began to eat like she hadn't since her school days. She didn't even notice the scarcity of applause; everyone had heard from their parents that she was mad and in league with Death Eaters, and the Slytherins heard 'Muggle defense'. But Jasmine wouldn't have cared even if she did notice, she was finally at peace.

"Still eating like a pig, I see, Black," Snape sneered at her.

"At least I don't resemble my food, greasy," she spat back at him.

Snape looked surprised. He hadn't expected her to be able to retaliate like that since all that had happened because even he could tell she wasn't her old self.

"Jasmine, Severus, please!" McGonagall practically begged.

"Sorry, Minnie," Jasmine told her.

"Miss Black, kindly do _not_ call me that."

"Right," she smiled. Jasmine stuck her foot behind the front leg of Snape's chair and pushed, hard.

Snape toppled over backwards with a loud **BANG**! Jasmine cracked up with many of the students while the Slytherins scowled, looking as unconcerned as they could, and some teachers tried to help, or else covered their mouths with their hands. Not one person at the Head Table thought Snape fell on his own, especially after Jasmine said, "Be careful, Snivells, I think your hair is dripping."

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine got back to the old Head Dorm and sat down on the bed with her feet dangling off the side. She sighed, laid back, and pulled out the knife. She had had it since her first year when she was dared to take something other than food from the kitchen. Jasmine had originally thought of a pot or pan, but wanted to see the look on the other Marauders faces when she came back with a lethal weapon.

She turned it over in her hand and found the spot on the handle where she engraved 'Marauder Whitetip'. Jasmine laughed to herself before engaging in an old habit; throwing the knife so the blade stuck in the top of the four-poster bed for a few seconds before falling into her hand. It was nothing of significance, but it was her favorite time waster during school, after pranking, even if pranking never was a time 'waster'.

As night fell, Jasmine sat up and looked out the window. So many familiar sights greeted her eyes: the Black Lake, the Whomping Willow, the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's hut. The list went on. She never realized just how much she missed this place.


	10. September 20, 1982

Jasmine woke at 8:42, exactly the same time as when she was at school. Instinctively, she rolled off her stomach and onto her back, then faced right to see which of the Marauders were up and which were in for a rude awakening. Of all the secrets they had managed to keep from Dumbledore, one was the fact that every year, including first, Jasmine would always kick Ryan McLyion, the other Gryffindor boy in the Marauder's year, out of his own dorm so she could sleep in the boy's dorm without causing the need for bedmates, in their dorm, at least.

Jasmine opened her eyes and groaned, everything that had happened came flooding back into her memory; but Hogwarts was her sanctuary, it shielded her from the life she had grown to hate.

Not much had actually changed since her time, except some teaching positions, (apparently DADA teachers still came and went regularly) and that Voldemort was no longer a growing threat. Professor McGonagall was still teaching Transfiguration, so Jasmine spent most of her time in that classroom when she was teaching, adding random comments to McGonagall's lectures. So in reality, she spent most of her time in Dumbledore's office. Even now, at twenty-three, she was still getting sent there.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine's entire day passed as a blur. She wasn't nervous, being in front of people never bothered her, but she never knew Monday's could go so fast if you weren't listening to Binn's droning voice, or rather, falling asleep at the sound of it.

Jasmine entered her classroom ninety minutes before the bell. She magically arranged the room so that when she was standing behind her desk to address the class, the blackboard was on her left, as was the door. She wasn't expecting more than fifteen students - with her history even that number was high - so she arranged fifteen desks in three rows, five per row, in the front half of the classroom; the back would be used for practice. On the shelves to the right of her desk, she put her knife, and a sword, a bow and arrows, shield, spear, and axe for herself to use.

On the back shelves, she set up fifteen of each the items in the front and going to use the empty space for 'practice'. She didn't know why, but she had always found old Muggle defenses - not modern guns or weapons to the like - more fun than wizard dueling, and she loved dueling. But then again, she figured it was because she grew up in the 'Ancient and Most Noble House of Black' so anything Muggle was forbidden. That sparked her interest and knowledge of Muggles.

Jasmine looked around her room - it was very bare. She looked at her watch and noticed she had about three minutes left.

"Decoration will have to wait. I'll take nothing under Marauder standards, and without Padfoot and Prongs, that could take a while," she said to herself.

The bell rang. Five minutes later, eight students had entered the classroom; three Gryffindors, one sixth year and two first, two Hufflepuff fourth years, and three Ravenclaw third years. The first years looked scared outta their wits, the sixth year looked like a mutual loner, the fourth years seemed to be dangers to themselves, and the third years would have reminded her of the Marauders, had the Marauders been worthless morons and extremely stupid. The seemingly idiot third years looked like this class was something stupid and that they only came to say that they did.

Jasmine waited for five more minutes before taking away the back row of desks and one from each the two remaining rows with a flick of her wand, as well as the extra weapons. The third years were examining the ones that stayed.

"Sit down," she told everyone. The first years sat in seats closest to the door, the fourth years halfway between the windows and door in the second row, the sixth year sat in front of her desk, and the third years didn't move from the back.

"We got a long way to go," Jasmine muttered to herself.

Jasmine walked up behind the third years. The sixth year turned around to watch, the first years were too terrified to move, and the fourth years looked clueless at what to do. Jasmine leaned over to be level with the third years' ears - which wasn't all that far as she was probably shorter than the sixth year, who was actually on the tall side - and hollered, "ARE-YOU-DEAF?!" in loud, clear syllables. Everyone jumped. They hadn't expected her to yell, and especially not so loud.

The third years turned around after getting their skin back on. (A/N: not literally) The one who seemed to be their leader said, "NO!"

"THEN-WHY-ARE-YOU-YELLING?!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE!" Even at the top of his lungs, the third year's voice was no where near as loud as Jasmine's.

Jasmine's voice became deathly quiet. "I don't appreciate cheek, unless I give it. You yell once more, and you will have detention with me. I can guarantee you will hate your life."

"YEAH, RIGHT!"

Jasmine found herself beginning to enjoy this. She would be able to take everything she had felt out on, and during, this class, though she did figure these three were only here because McGonagall wanted to show her what trouble-makers were really like to try and handle.

"Detention, every night this week. Only you'll serve tonight's on Saturday, all morning. Now sit down, or it will be a month."

The third year looked shocked. Apparently, he had never been placed in a situation quite like the one Jasmine had just placed him in.

"But-but I ha-have detention with S-Sn-Snape tomorrow," he said, probably trying a sympathy act, but then again maybe not, missing a detention from Snape was sure to result in hell.

"Well, Snape and I have a certain, uh, 'understanding'. You would much rather miss his detention than mine. Now, would you care to take a seat? You - detention kid - can sit in the front."

Everyone finally sat down in their seats and Jasmine sat on her desk. "Everyone, take out a quill and piece of parchment. Write your name, I need a roster."

A first year raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"House and year, too, Professor?"

"Nope. And I'm just 'Miss Black', not 'Professor'." She was grateful the first year, at least, had some manners.

As everyone wrote his or her name down, they gasped. What they wrote had appeared on the board. Jasmine looked at the board and grinned in her usual mischievous way; every teacher knew that grin.

"So, Mr. Roppanue, you think this class is 'a stupid waste of time taught by some crazy braud'? Saturday, all day. Oh, and twenty points from Ravenclaw."

"How do you know I'm in Ravenclaw?" Roppanue demanded since he wasn't wearing any identifying articles of clothing.

"You mean besides the fact that with your last statement you basically just told me? Because I just do. Wanna go for fifty?"

The third year, Roppanue, sat down. Jasmine knew he would. She was a Marauder, and she most certainly knew how to deal with this joker, he could barely even tell left from right!

"Now, all y'all need to know is that this class will be graded like all the others, only there will be no O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s." She spent the remainder of the ninety minutes telling the class the rules. No one tried to interrupt or complain after the episode with Roppanue, didn't want to push their luck, no doubt. They all behaved.

---------------------------------------------

When everyone had left, Jasmine took down the names from the board:

Steven Doxer--Gryffindor 6th year  
Brittany Twoitt--Hufflepuff 4th year  
Lauren Wither--Hufflepuff 4th year  
Alec Roppanue--Ravenclaw 3rd year  
Josh Imphel--Ravenclaw 3rd year  
Patrick Affle--Ravenclaw 3rd year  
Annie Lasque--Gryffindor 1st year  
Nancy Talse--Gryffindor 1st year

"This is going to be some year," she told herself.

"You think so?"

Jasmine didn't even look up from her current task of assigning student to 'Muggle device'. "Hello, Minnie."

"Jasmine."

"Sorry."

"How is it going?" McGonagall asked.

"You sent the little nuke survivors here, didn't you?" Jasmine said with a slight grin.

McGonagall let out a small chuckle. "Yes, I thought you'd find then to be a nice touch."

"I did, actually."

"Oh, really?" McGonagall seemed doubtful. "Every couple of years or so some new group comes in and tries to create trouble and reck havoc since the Marauders' time. I believe your classmates are passing down your legacy."

Jasmine laughed out loud. "They are i not /i Marauder successors. Believe me, I'll know 'em when I meet 'em. Those three are just stupid. I almost feel sorry for them. Do you have any idea what would've happened to them if they were in the Marauders' era?"

"No, what?"

"We would've dunked them lower than dirt. They would not be half the problem you think they are. But since they're idiotic kids, I'll go easy on them."

McGonagall chuckled. "Teaching them discipline, are you, Miss Black?"

"Yes, ma'am. They'll be spelling it in their sleep."

"Oh I hope so. They certainly seem to need it."

"Yes, well, Professor, I'm off to dinner. You going there too?"

"Yes, I think I will be."

Jasmine and McGonagall left the classroom and headed for the Great Hall. Jasmine had always been close to McGonagall and thought it was nice she could finally 'prank', even if it was minimal, and have someone - i.e. a Professor - who would at least find it amusing.

**_A/N: Thanks_ Emerald princess3 _for all the reviews!_**


	11. September 21, 1982

Jasmine didn't have a 'class' today, so she had plenty of time for detention, and for once, it wasn't hers. Roppanue came to her classroom after eating and she took him back to the Great Hall.

"What do I have to do?" he asked her.

Jasmine presented him with a toothbrush. "I told the house-elves not to clean the floor here. You'll do it with the toothbrush and that." She pointed to a bucket full of warm, soapy water. "I've already made sure you can't use magic or get out. I'll be outside." And with that, Jasmine left and closed the door behind her.

Jasmine waited for the sound she knew would come before sticking her head inside. "Oh, and the bucket refills itself," she told the angry student who had a toppled over bucket by his sore foot. Jasmine closed the door again and sat down in front of it with a book, contented by the angry sounds coming from inside the Great Hall.

---------------------------------------------

Inside the Hall, Roppanue was furious. He kicked over the bucket only stubbing his toe. Then his teacher came in to tell him it would just refill. After she closed the door, the bucket stood up and refilled on its own.

Furious, Roppanue tried to get out every window and door, but none would open. His wand seemed to stop working as well, so he would have to do everything by hand.

He picked up the bucket and splashed the water over the floor, in attempt to make his task go by faster, but the water dissolved and the bucket refilled. He would have to do this the old fashion way.

After an hour of tiring scrubbing, hardly any of the Hall was clean. Roppanue again tried getting out through the doors, again in vain. He cursed out loud, very loud, only to hear a small chuckle from outside the door. '_Damn the wrench_,' he thought, '_probably out there_ _listening and throwing a party. I'll get her for this._'

---------------------------------------------

It was two in the morning when Jasmine stopped reading. She knew that kid wouldn't be anywhere near done, not with all the cussing and pounding, but that was why she had put him in detention all week.

Jasmine opened the door and stepped inside, where it was extra slippery. She didn't slip at all, though, she wasn't expecting anything more creative than water on the floor.

Roppanue was obviously tired, or giving a very good impression of it. He seemed to be asleep, expect his eye was open and his arm holding the toothbrush was slowing scrubbing away.

"You can finish during the next three days," she told him. "Now I'll take you to your common room and make sure you stay there. But first, I hope you know how to make sure no one messes up the floor space you've already cleaned," Jasmine said in a manner suggesting she knew he didn't.

"No I don't! You can't do this!" Roppanue exploded at her.

"Actually, Alec, I can."

"But I can't keep starting over!"

"Yes, you can."

"But that's not fair!"

"Do I care about fair? See, this is what happens when people mouth off to me."

"But I'm a student!"

"And I'm a teacher."

"But I don't want to start over!"

"Then put a spell on the floor so it won't get any dirtier."

"I don't...my wand won't work!"

"It does now."

Roppanue gave her a defeated look. "I don't know how."

"Then why don't you ask?"

Roppanue sighed. "Fine! How?"

"How what?"

"How do I make the floor not get any dirtier?"

"That's your problem," Jasmine said as if it couldn't concern her less, which it probably couldn't have.

"What?!" Roppanue screeched in a high-pitched, disbelieving voice.

Jasmine sighed and pulled out her wand. "There," she said, while waving it over a small portion of the floor. "These three and a half square feet will stay clean, at least as clean as you washed them."

"But what about the rest of it?!"

"That's your problem."

"What?!"

---------------------------------------------

After twenty more minutes of dealing with fussing from Roppanue, ducking to dodge a curse, and taking eight points from Ravenclaw - it was a pitiful curse - Jasmine had gotten Roppanue into his common room and made certain that he and his friends would stay there for the rest of the night. Then she went to bed.


	12. September 25, 1982

Saturday finally came. Jasmine wondered why she had set her alarm, especially since, on top of being Saturday, she never used it; then remembered that she had given Roppanue a detention - all day.

The Great Hall was clean, Roppanue had enough wits about him to look up how to keep the floor clean, but it wasn't spotless because his spell was sort of semi-ineffective.

Today, Jasmine was going to have a field day - Roppanue would learn to never mess with a Marauder again - even if he didn't know she was one - and she was sure that Roppanue had a surprise for her in her classroom.

---------------------------------------------

As it turned out, she was right. Before opening the door to her classroom, Jasmine lazily waved her wand and a dozen or so dungbombs that were waiting to be set off by opening the door were sent to the caretaker's office. The Marauders and Filch had held many battles when they were at Hogwarts, and Jasmine, having learned he was still around, wanted to be sure the Marauders had the last laugh.

Roppanue wasn't due for another fifteen minutes, and Jasmine would need his copy of class rules she had every student copy down and hand in because they would be a hassle to carry.

She went to her office - which was really more like a closet because all the 'class materials' were kept there because she didn't want to leave everything in the classroom and couldn't be bothered to bring everything back and forth from her room to her classroom. The office door was slightly open and Jasmine guessed that had something to do with a bucket of dirty water or something falling over her head when she opened it. She moved the bucket to fall over the classroom door and went into her office to find the paper. When she came out, she saw a disgusted Roppanue soaked to the bone.

---------------------------------------------

A few floors down, Mr. Filch was talking gleefully to his cat, Mrs. Norris - also there during Marauder time - about how he would finally have Peeves the Poltergeist kicked out of Hogwarts when he opened his office door to be showered by the stench of dungbombs. His screams of troublemakers and disrespectful ingrates could be heard by most of the school for the next half hour.

---------------------------------------------

"Personally, I think it looks rather nice on you," a smirking Jasmine told a disgruntled Roppanue.

He just stood there and snarled.

Jasmine chuckled to herself and said, "Follow me, and take your cloak."

Roppanue reluctantly obeyed, trying in vain to dry himself with his wand. "What do I have to do?"

"Whatever I say."

"But--"

"But nothing."

Roppanue continued to follow Jasmine out to the grounds, grumbling insults all the ways. Jasmine ignored him and stopped near the Forbidden Forest.

"What are we doing here?" Roppanue asked her in a worried voice.

"Well, Alec, first, I want you to look at this." She showed him his copy of the classroom rules. "Read it out loud."

Roppanue sighed and recited, "One: No disrespect towards other students or teacher. Two: No goofing off with equipment a.k.a. weapons. Three: Follow all the teacher's instructions."

"Not too difficult, is it?"

"No," Roppanue said, having no idea where this was going.

"Well right now, I am _instructing_ you to take this list and bring back a sample of each of the plants on it." Jasmine took a list out of her pocket and ripped it in half.

Roppanue took his half and read it over.

"I added pictures just incase. All these plants can be found in the Forest. Don't come back until you have all of them or it's nightfall. If you're not back by tomorrow morning, I'll presume you're dead."

Roppanue had suddenly gone pale. "Go into the Forest? Are you mad?"

"So they say."

"What will you do all day?"

"I'll be getting the plants on the other half of the list, also in the Forest."

"Why do you need these?"

"Oh, I don't. I told Professor Sprout I'd get her the plants she needs for some of her more advanced classes because I need to punish a student."

Roppanue gulped and looked extremely afraid of entering the Forest.

"Move," Jasmine said and ushered him into the Forest, following behind. "Stay on the path and you should be fine. And f.y.i., I'll know if you leave."

Roppanue couldn't answer as Jasmine had just left the path, leaving him alone.

"Help," he tried to call out.

---------------------------------------------

Jasmine wove between the trees with ease, knowing her way. "Firenze!" she called. "You around here?"

"Hello, Jasmine." A centaur came out from the trees behind her. "It has been a long time since you have been here."

"Yeah, hi Bane. Hey, is Firenze around?"

"He may be near. Firenze does, after all, live in this forest."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm looking for him here."

"Why do you wish to find him?"

"I think I should tell him that, you can find out from the stars tonight."

That offended Bane. "The stars are not for recording meaningless talk, they tell important--"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. So where is he? He can tell you what I say later."

"Well then I am afraid he may have other errands. It is, after all, long hours until the stars and planets show."

"Damn curious centaurs," Jasmine muttered under her breath. Louder, she said, "I need him to help make sure this kid doesn't die without letting on he's there."

That _really_ offended Bane. "You brought a human into our forest and expect us to watch it?!"

"No! Not at all, I 'm just asking Firenze for a favor, that's all. And it's not IyourI forest! It doesn't hurt to show a little dignity, ya know."

"It is centaurs that have dignity, much more so than humans, with little to none!"

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard this all before."

"Then do not forget it!"

"I don't, I just don't agree with it."

"It would do you well to leave this forest, Jasmine Black."

"Well if I had a knut for every time I heard that."

Bane kicked up his front legs in anger to try to get Jasmine to back away and leave. Jasmine, however, knew he wasn't close enough to kick her, and probably wouldn't, so she stood her ground.

"Leave and take your student with you!"

"There's a student in the forest." Another centaur joined them and said. He wasn't asking a question.

"Firenze!" Jasmine exclaimed. "Finally, sweet Merlin."

"You have seen the student. Did you tell him to leave?" Bane demanded.

"No, I have come to find the one who brought him."

"That would be me," Jasmine said moving around an extremely angry Bane. "Could you please make sure he doesn't die or anything, 'cause I only want to shake him up."

"Of course, I would gladly be of assistance, though it has been long since you or your friends have visited this forest. The stars predicted your return."

"Stars, yeah, that's great," Jasmine muttered, noting how angry Bane was quickly becoming. "Well, thanks for helping, but I have business elsewhere in the forest. See ya."

Jasmine walked hastily away, glad to put the potentially homicidal centaur behind her, she knew what centaurs were capable of. Thankfully, though, she didn't need a path because she had been in the Forbidden Forest so many times, and not only at full moons; the Marauders always enjoyed the forest, especially if they were playing 'Truth or Dare'.

It only took Jasmine about twenty minutes to find the twenty plants on the part of the list Sprout had given her. she took the over to the greenhouses and left them in Greenhouse 4 with a note explaining the others would be dropped off later, smiling at the fact that she had found a new way to punish a student that wasn't illegal, because she had already received a detention doing everything else humanly short of being labeled 'cruel and unusual punishment', and that was before Filch's chains were banned.

---------------------------------------------

Out in the forest, Roppanue was a nervous reck. He never dared to enter before, even if he and his friends were planning on going sometime in the far future, and they weren't planning on going alone. He didn't care that it was morning - it looked darker than night.

Who knew what lives in the Forbidden Forest? It was called 'Forbidden' for a reason, after all, and Roppanue did _not_ want to know that reason.

He heard something walking behind him and jumped.

"Wh-wh-who's-s th-th-there-re?"

No answer. Roppanue couldn't see Firenze watching be make sure nothing attacked him.

Roppanue looked at his list, almost twenty plants were on it. He looked around - mostly behind him - and actually found one of them. He pulled it and stuffed it in a bag he had managed to conjure before he wandered too deep into the forest.

---------------------------------------------

After about eight hours and forty-five minutes, Roppanue had found all the plants on his list; he also found himself lost. He had no idea how to get out of the forest, or even back to the path which he had somehow strayed off of.

"HEELLPP!" he called out to no one, not realizing that probably wasn't the best idea in the book. "HEELLPP!"

Firenze stepped out in front of him.

"AHHH!" Roppanue dropped his bag and fell to the ground, covering his head with his arms.

"You are the student of Jasmine Black," Firenze addressed him.

Roppanue dared to look up and give him a slight nod.

"She is a friend of mine. I will help you."

Roppanue had no idea who this was, but he _did _want to get out of the forest alive. He grabbed a tree and hoisted himself up, only letting go long enough to pick up his bag.

"Thank," he started in a high, squeaky voice, "thank you."

Firenze nodded. "Follow me."

Roppanue obeyed, using the trees for support. He saw the trees begin to get thinner and could see the afternoon light - or what was left of it - straight ahead. so that was where he ran, into the clearing he thought was the edge of the forest. Surprisingly, to him at least, he saw Jasmine waiting for him. He never thought he'd be glad to see her.

---------------------------------------------

After about eight and a half hours, Jasmine figured Roppanue had about finished his job in the forest. She headed back out to it and into a clearing, figuring Roppanue would eventually be drawn to its light.

Jasmine waited for a couple of minutes before Roppanue - being led by Firenze - stumbled into the clearing, dragging a bag filled with the plants Sprout wanted, a few of them trying to get out.

Roppanue instantly dropped the bag and ran to Jasmine, hugging her like he would his mother, and began babbling extremely quickly.

"Don't make me do that again. Please, I'll behave! I swear! Just get me out of this place! Please!"

Jasmine sighed. "You learned your lesson?"

He nodded into her shoulder.

"Alright then. Let's go back to the school."

---------------------------------------------

What little was left of the day was fairly boring. Jasmine brought Sprout the rest of the plants and ate dinner, always an event worth noting.

Now, she was sitting in a comfy chair by the fireplace in her room. It was dark and a fire was going, she was wearing baggy pajamas and sipping some hot chocolate she got from the kitchens.

Jasmine watched the flames, enchanted by their movement. She had never been so alone, she realized as the heat licked the stone and wood.

Sirius had always been there for her. No matter what. This was the first time she had ever really been separated from him, at least since before they got along. She laughed to herself. Until they were about seven, Sirius had been bloody afraid of her. Jasmine had started rebelling against her parents' ways when she saw them make Andromeda cry by forbidding her to see her boyfriend because he came from a Muggle family. She and Andromeda had never been particularly close, not like Bellatrix and Narcissa, but they liked each other better, but not so much that she hadn't been surprised Andromeda took her in the way she did, or even recognized each other. They hadn't seen each other since Andromeda graduated, eight years before Jasmine did, and after that, Jasmine had only received two letters from her sister: _"Got married to Ted."_ and _"Had a daughter, Nymphadora."_ They weren't signed, and Jasmine never sent anything back. But even though she was young, Andromeda had helped her see sense. Then she helped Sirius see what she had, no one else had ever told him their 'family' was wrong.

When they went to Hogwarts, Sirius and Jasmine were closer than ever; especially since she kicked out McLyion the same night they were sorted before he even made it to the dorm. He didn't mind much though, the kids in the year above him let him stay on the floor, so he had all the older kids for friends. The only reason it was him, though, was because she and Sirius had met James and later Remus in Diagon Alley, then befriended them on the train and Pettigrew was already in the dorm.

When Jasmine and Sirius ran away, they went together. Jasmine had been hit by a curse of some sort and was barely conscious. Sirius took both their trunks - since they didn't think to shrink them in the house, they just needed to get away - and half-dragged her to the Potters' and they stayed there for the last two years of Hogwarts and a couple months after that.

She, Sirius, and Remus were all staying together when they decided to move in with their generation Potters. When Dumbledore suggested they all move out for safety, Jasmine and Sirius had separate flats, but were each over at the other's so often even they occasionally got mixed up on who's was who's.

Now Sirius was gone, and Jasmine was alone. She wished she still had Nymphadora around, just seeing that little girl put a smile on her face, but she didn't even have Harry, whom the law said she should.

She felt like crying, but she didn't. Jasmine couldn't remember crying once in her entire life, except for that week...

Jasmine knew crying wouldn't make her weak, but it made her feel vulnerable, and she didn't like that feeling. She had always been strong, and she knew she could get though this, no matter how little she believed time heals all wounds, she knew crying didn't heal them either.

She put the hot chocolate mug down, and curled up in the chair, falling alseep and facing the fire.


	13. June 29, 1983

Last Wednesday of the school year. Jasmine was preparing her last class when the end of the year feast ended - after attending shortly herself - and her eight students piled in. 

By now, they all, miraculously, knew each other very well and were actually glad they could take this 'class' next year since it was more like a time to relax and break from school life than any study period any of them had ever had. 

"Hey, y'all, listen up!" Jasmine told the class. Everyone stopped talking and most sat down on the desks. 

"So what are we doing, Jas? A party?" Brittany asked hopefully. 

As the year went on, the kids became more and more comfortable and were now on first name terms because, as Jasmine said, being called 'Miss' by a bunch of kids all the time made her feel older than McGonagall, discreetly, of course. 

Brittany's question was followed by enthusiastic agreement. 

Jasmine nodded. "To celebrate endless sleeping, doing nothing, or whatever else, _CoughQuidditchCough_-" 

Everyone laughed, they knew she loved Quidditch. 

"-Cake and music, I'm thinking. No work, but that's a given." She smiled and pulled out a large cake shaped like a Quidditch pitch and nine bottles of butterbeer. 

"Quidditch?" Alec asked. He had come a long way from his toothbrush scrubbing days. 

"Yes, I find Quidditch to be much more satisfactory on the summer holidays... Oh, who am I kidding? What good is Quidditch if you can't use it to kick Slytherin butt?" 

Everyone dug into the cake and butterbeer and the radio was turned to the WWN, not playing at all quietly. 

"Hey, Jas?" Annie hollered over the music. 

"What?" 

"How long will this go on for?" 

"As long as you want. I don't know how much sleep you require." 

About twenty minutes later, Professor Dumbledore cane into the classroom with an amused look on his face, especially considering that Jasmine had soundproofed the room and he was sure to have just had his eardrums blown out. 

"Ah, celebrating the successful year, I see." 

"Yes, sir!" Jasmine told him. "Care to join us?" 

"I would find that most delightful, actually. May I?" he asked, indicating the half-eaten cake. 

"Help yourself." 

"Why thank you."

* * *

Two hours later and the class was still going strong. Dumbledore, however, began to feel a splitting headache and decided to return to his study. The cake was almost gone, as well as the butterbeer, but no one wanted to go to bed just yet. After all, they could always just sleep on the train. 

Steven turned off the radio, much to the displeasure of the class. "It's just starting to get dark now," he said. 

"So?" came the general response. 

"So why don't we all go down by the forest, make a fire, and tell stories? They don't have to be scary, just something new to do. We could invite Hagrid, too, I bet he'd know some, and after all, he did help with that forest project," he said, referring to when the class split into two groups, went into the Forbidden Forest, one group with Hagrid and one with Jasmine, each magically marked a dozen tall trees, and the other group had to find the trees and hit the mark with and arrow - Alec had stuck close to Jasmine the entire time, not wishing to stray off the path again. 

"Yeah." 

"Good idea." 

"Let's go." 

Jasmine whistled. 

No one paid any attention. Her whistle wasn't that bad, but it couldn't compete with the noise made by the students. 

So she scratched her nails along the blackboard. 

"Ahhh!" 

"My ears!" 

"Ouch!" 

"How about we wait for it to get a little darker first. There's still a bit of cake left and I don't want to bring that outside."

* * *

By the time the moon was the only light outdoors, the cake was completely diminished and everyone was still hungry. 

"So when we do go outside, like now, are we going to bring _something _to eat?" 

"Yeah," Jasmine said. "I went Florean's this morning and made sure to get enough ice cream to last. Let's go!" 

They were out on the grounds and Jasmine put Steven in charge of making a safe fire and Brittany and Lauren in charge of the ice cream. She went over to the gamekeeper's cabin and knocked on the door. 

"I'm comin', I'm comin'. Oh, Jasmine. Nice ter see ya." 

"Hey, Hagrid. Feel up to joining the festives?" 

"Sure! Why not? I always look forwa'd ter a party." 

Jasmine and Hagrid went over the campfire and grabbed and ice cream. 

"Jas, you go first with the stories!" Nancy requested. 

"Ok, ok, what d'ya want to hear?" 

Her nine kids instantly silenced as Josh said, "A ghost story." 

"Ok." Jasmine waved her hand and clouds covered the moon to make it even darker. 

"Hold up," Steven said. "You can do wandless magic?" 

"Well," Jasmine thought about how to answer that. "Not really, I can create weak illusions, and since illusions themselves aren't real, like magic is real, it's a lot like doing nonverbal magic." 

Satisfied with that answer, Steven nodded. "Uh, Jas?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I really want to hear your story, but I promised my girlfriend I'd spend the night with her and our friends, you know, recall the year." 

"Isn't it a little late for that?" Jasmine asked. 

Steven shrugged. 

"Alright then, just leave us, all alone, in the dark." 

Some people chuckled 

_**(A/N: This is a really bad attempt at a ghost story. I know it's not scary, but please, just pretend it is. And I know the name is... unusual.)**_

"Alright, so have any of you heard of Elustrid Black?" 

All of the students shook their heads, as did Hagrid, but only not to cause suspicion - he had heard Jasmine tell this when she was attending school and wondered how she'd be able to tell it now. 

"Well Elustrid Black lived thousands of years ago, maybe even before Hogwarts existed, no one knows for sure." 

"Are you related to Elustrid?" Annie asked. 

"I think so, but we're not at all alike. And not just because he was born without a left leg or right eye, and a few other, ah, _deformities_. 

"He would always hide in shadows, to keep his appearance secret, so no one would notice his scratchy piece of metal he called a leg that would _eeekkk_ every time he took a step." 

Jasmine paused, just as an eerie noise was heard behind them, like metal on wood. Annie and Nancy shivered. 

Jasmine gave a startled look and continued. "There was nothing Elustrid hated more than any person who could walk or run without making the horrible sound, especially if they weren't considered 'worthy' to be a wizard. _He_ could never get away with anything; from an early morning walk to a murderous crime. 

"So he blamed them for his faults, them and anyone who dared get in his way. Elustrid decided to destroy them, but first, he would need a spell with which to do so. 

"For twenty years, Elustrid disappeared. He went underground, to create something no one had, not ever before. He strived to beget fear and death - evil - that he alone could control. And by the time he resurfaced, no one remembered him. 

"He went to a wizard neighborhood, full of families with small children. He walked up to a little girl, she was about your age-" Jasmine pointed to Annie and Nancy who both gulped. 

"He said, 'Little girl, come and look me in my eye,' pointing to his false one. 

"The little girl was scared, but she didn't know what to do. And as she approached him--- 

"'AVADA KEDAVRA!' 

"A flash of green light and the little girl was dead. Nobody knew how he did it. But it's what happened next that established the real fear. The air became cold and the day became dark. Cloaked, rotting beings surrounded the street. Elustrid gave a command that went unheard over the screams. 

"He called the creatures 'dementors' after his own demonic existence; and they sucked the souls of the living, leaving them neither alive nor dead, at Elustrid's command. He created them. 

"Elustrid went from street to street, from town to town, reeking havoc, pain, death, and worse; always beginning the end with 'Come and look me in my eye.' Until one day, something went wrong. The dementors became restless with evil and power. A mutiny was at hand. Dementors were the superior race. 

"They came to destroy Elustrid, as they and he had so many others, and claim the world as theirs. But not before Elustrid spoke a final spell: to one day return and reclaim what he took, finish what he began, in either his own body, or that of his descendant and heir." 

"AAAHHHH!!" 

Everyone screamed and jumped as the fire suddenly shot up no less than six feet in the air and out of the forest jumped a man from whom a scratchy, metal sound diffused. 

The man started to laugh, but it wasn't evil, it was... amused. 

"Steven!" Nancy yelled. "You really scared us!" 

"Sorry, Nance," Steven laughed, "but Jas asked me to." 

"Jasmine!" Annie started. 

Jasmine was chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, I told him how to turn out the lights so he could get in the forest without any of you noticing." 

"I thought that mighta been him," Hagrid said. "I remember when yeh told that one at school." 

"Yup, I just figured it was time to bring back the classic." 

"But... was that... was that... true?" Lauren asked. 

"No, no one named 'Elustrid Black' ever lived, neither did likes of him, unless you count Voldemort-" 

Everyone else shuddered and Jasmine told them get over it. 

"-and he didn't create any unforgivables that I'm aware of. 

"So who's next?" she asked. 

"No more horror." 

"I'll go," Alec said. "This is true. My uncle told me the story, he knew the people in it, sorta. Well, anyways, when he was at school, there was a group of kids a year under him who were called the Marauders." 

Hagrid looked at Jasmine, who was acting as though this was news to her. 

"There were five, four boys and one girl, but no one figured out who they were. Uh, actually, my uncle just wouldn't tell me, 'part of the legend' he said. Well, they were legends of the school, the Pranking Masters. M-W-P-P-W is what would stand for them. Those letters could always be found by their pranks, which were always perfect. They pranked everyone, the entire school at once sometimes, even the Headmaster." 

"Dumbledore?" 

"Yes." 

"Whoa." 

"Well, one time, my uncle told me that they were always wagging war against Filch. And this one time, he hung them by their ankles in the dungeons, so they took Mrs. Norris and hung her by her ankles in the Great Hall, and no one could get her down. Not even Dumbledore!" Alec started laughing with everyone else. 

After he calmed down, "She was up there for the entire weekend before the Marauders agreed to take her down, and when they did, they hung up Filch!" 

More laughter rang out at the thought that someone was actually able to extract revenge against the loathed caretaker and his hated pussy. 

"And then, they took Filch down and left before anyone could take house points or put them in detention!" 

Everyone was laughing, even Jasmine, who remembered when that happened, only they _did_ get detention. 

"Hey, Jas," Alec said, "you're about my uncle's age." 

"So?" 

"Did you know the Marauders?" 

"Uh, you could say that. They really went to Hogwarts, if that's what you mean." 

"Wow, you really knew them?" Steven asked. 

"Yeah, and now it's getting late." 

"How late?" 

"It's two in the morning," Jasmine said. "Back to the castle, if you miss the train, it's not my fault." 

After some unenthusiastic grumbling about wanting to stay up, the students said good night and headed back up to the school and Jasmine cleaned up.

* * *

After about ten minutes, Jasmine went back up to the castle and in her room. She laid down, ready to go to bed. 

Silent tears threatened to fall for the first time since September as Jasmine reached under her pillow and took out a picture of the Marauders - minus Pettigrew - Lily, and Harry taken just after she, Sirius, and Remus moved in with the Potters. 

She touched the familiar faces and put the photo back under her head. 

**_A/N: Sorry about taking o long to update. I'll try to get the next one up quicker!_**


	14. July 15, 1983

Today was another normal day for Jasmine. She was back at the Tonks's for the summer break and Nymphadora couldn't be more delighted. Apparently, she had done the seemingly impossible for her and sunk into a shallow depression during her aunt's absence. When Jasmine told Andromeda she wasn't staying at Hogwarts, but leaving on the train, she was extremely surprised - and guilty of the surprise - to find Andromeda and Nymphadora at the station. Andromeda had gotten the day off from St. Mungo's, but Ted had to work.

Even though it was a Friday, or perhaps _because_ it was, Jasmine stayed home from office, mostly just because.

Now, she was with Andromeda and Ted shopping with Nymphadora - who had just received her Hogwarts letter - for school supplies.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Can I get a kitty?" Nymphadora asked, with her face against the Magical Pet Shop window.

"Well, it's alright with me, ask your mother though."

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy! Can I get a kitty?"

"Will you take care of it?"

"Yes!"

"It will be your responsibility, understand?"

"Yay!" She grabbed Jasmine's hand and pulled her into the store with her parents following.

"That one," Nymphadora said, pointing to a calico that resembled a pompom.

It was perfectly round due to the fluffy fur except for the long, skinny tail and whiskers that, oddly enough, stuck straight out. Its feet and head would be indistinguishable from the rest of it were not the cat standing up, the pink nose, brown eyes, and the pink inside of its ears.

"O...k, then, yeah," Jasmine said - she had never seen a fluffy creature look so... odd. "Hey, ma'am, how much for the fuzz-butt?"

"Jasmine!" Andromeda scolded. "Which one did you pick?" she asked Nymphadora.

"That one."

Ted and Andromeda were as shocked by the cat as Jasmine.

As Andromeda paid for the cat, the witch at the cash register asked, "What will you name her?"

"At least now we know the gender," Jasmine muttered.

"Fuzz-Butt," Nymphadora answered in the simplest, most appropriate way possible, yet enthusiastic all the same.

Jasmine snickered before rescuing her niece from her mother's started lecture of "Nymphadora!"

"Oh, don't worry, Andro, I'm sure she meant 'Fuzzy'. Didn't ya?" she asked, nudging Nymphadora.

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, I did!"

"Alright," Andromeda said, unconvinced. "Jasmine, don't call me 'Andro'."

"Okie-dokie, then." Under her breath, she added, "Andromy."

"I heard that."

Jasmine laughed out loud.

* * *

After fitting Fuzzy with a collar - no one could quite figure out where exactly it should go - she ended up looking like two pompoms glued together, everyone went to Flourish and Blotts.

When they went in, the first thing Jasmine did was say, "Oh...-" she looked at her niece "-great, crap, and heck."

"What?" Andromeda wanted to know.

Jasmine pointed and Andromeda nodded her understanding as she narrowed her eyes in dislike.

"I don't want Nymphadora meeting her," Andromeda said.

"Yeah, or her to meet Nymphadora," Jasmine told her. "Just take her behind that book shelf or something."

"Nymphadora, let's look behind here," her mother instructed.

The minute they and Ted disappeared, Jasmine was addressed by her sister.

"What are you for, Jasmine?" Narcissa Malfoy asked.

"Don't know, guess nothing. You?"

"Lucius asked me to get a book for him."

"Oh, he's finally learned to read, has he?"

"Jasmine, sister, you know I love you, but do not insult my husband."

"Sure thing! If that's really what you call him."

"Jasmine! Why do we always have to fight?!"

"Oh, I don't know, possible 'cause you gave me the boot... how many years ago?"

"You ran away. And incase you forget, Bella and I never thought of you as 'disowned'. You were always a part of our family. And, most importantly, you _came back_."

"Yeah, and that was probably the best thing I ever did!" Jasmine answered with sarcasm coating her tone. Narcissa paid no attention to it.

"Jasmine, you must stop acting so naive."

"Who's being naive? Am I being naive? I'm not acting naive."

"If Mother and Father had thrown you out, I would have tried to stop them, but you chose to leave with the blood-traitor that corrupted you."

"Well, dear old Mummy definitely threw some hexes of sorts my way that night, does that count? And I believe it was more that _I_ corrupted _him_."

Narcissa looked at her with sympathy in her eyes before hugging her. "If you ever need anything, I do mean _anything_, you know you're always welcome with me."

"Yeah, thanks, Cissy," Jasmine said while patting her back and rolling her eyes.

"Well, I need to get home." Narcissa apparated away.

"I love being the baby in the family; none of my siblings ever hated me, no matter what I thought or think of them. Makes you wonder why I'm the youngest though."

"What's that, Jasmine?" Andromeda asked as she walked over to her.

"Oh, nothing, just talking to myself."

"Well what'd she want?"

"Nothing, just getting a book."

"Thank goodness for that."

"Here, here."

* * *

Later that night, back at the Tonks house, Jasmine was just falling asleep when she heard a small knock at her bedroom door, which she always kept locked, more out of habit than anything else.

She opened the door and Nymphadora, carrying Fuzzy, came in.

"Hey, hun. What's up this late hour? Besides us, I mean."

"Who was that witch you were talking to?"

"No one, just someone I know from childhood."

"Are you related?"

Jasmine sighed. "Yes, she's my sister."

"How come Mum won't let me see her?"

Jasmine paused. This was a sensitive situation, best left to Andromeda, but Nymphadora came to her. "Well, she's not... You see, she thinks... Just ask you mother. I don't think she'd be very happy if this comes from me."

"Why?"

"You need to ask her. I'll go with you if want."

Nymphadora's gaze fell to the floor. "Ok." She didn't look ok.

"Come here." Jasmine held out her arms and Nymphadora came into them. "I know it's for a good reason, alright? You're not being punished, you know that, right?"

Nymphadora nodded, and Jasmine could tell she was starting to cry. "But Mum said you were her only sister."

Jasmine bit her lip. "Well, technically, she's right." She turned Nymphadora to face her. "Family is more than blood, which isn't always thicker than water."

"Is it in this house?" Nymphadora asked tentatively.

"Of course it is! We all love each other, don't we? And take care of one another?"

"Yeah, we do." Nymphadora hugged her aunt. "I love you, Auntie J."

"Love you, too, squirt."

"Um, 'squirt'? Auntie J, you are in _no_ position to call _anyone _'squirt'."

Jasmine looked Nymphadora square in the eye, and without a hint of smile or laughter, said, "There must be some poor, unfortunate jackass somewhere in the world that is shorter than I."

Nymphadora laughed.

"Don't tell your mother I told you that," Jasmine said, a slight grin on her face and a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"Good night, Auntie J."

"Good night, sweetie."

Nymphadora closed the door on her way back to her own room, and Jasmine left it unlocked.

She chuckled to herself. "'Poor, unfortunate jackass," she muttered.

Jasmine laid down and found herself, oddly enough, in dreams about another who had said "I love you", but she knew that by walking out and losing contact with him almost two years ago, she couldn't go back now, even if she wanted to. The fact of the matter was she no longer knew where she stood on that matter, but, smiling, she knew she loved her family.

**_A/N: How'd you like it?_**


	15. September 1, 1983

**_Disclaimer: You know what this should say._**

* * *

It was twelve minutes until eleven and the scarlet steam engine was getting ready to go.

Jasmine was taking the train back to Hogwarts, to discuss her classes with her class from last year, and to keep Andromeda from losing her mind - she was an extremely over-protective mother.

Jasmine took her and Nymphadora's trunk into a compartment occupied by Steven, Annie, and Nancy. She expected the others to be there soon.

"Hey, y'all."

"Hey, Jas."

"What's up?"

"Good summer?"

"Just a minute," Jasmine said. "Nymphadora, go make a friend, then come back cause I want to be sure I'll have ten kids this year and I ain't adopting."

"Ok." And she left.

Jasmine put the trunks up and plopped down between Annie and Nancy, putting an arm around each of them.

"So... what's up? Look up, that's what. And summer was... " - she drew in a breath while thinking of an appropriate word - "decent." She didn't exactly find one.

"That's it?" Steven asked.

"That's it. Now it's your turn."

The three replied in usion.

"During class."

"Say, Jas," Annie started, "you never told us how you learned archery and whatnot--"

"When I was a kid, only a few years ago... wow," she said more to herself than anyone else. She whispered, "Only a few years ago."

"Jas?"

"Oh! Sorry." Jasmine came out of her memories and continued. "Well, when I was a kid, I'd sneak into this Muggle place, no idea what it was called, and I was able to watch an instructor out of this room that wasn't really in use anymore. I learn things pretty fast, so I memorized the schedule and came back for what I wanted to know."

She surveyed the students listening to her. "Why are y'all so interested anywho? I mean we spend, what? five of the fourty-five minute time slot doing what is supposed to be done then the next two hours doing something else."

Mostly, the Gryffindor's just shrugged at Jasmine's comment.

The compartment door opened and Nymphadora entered with a red-haired and freckled first year.

"You're a Weasley?" Jasmine asked. "Bill, is it? I've heard your father talk about you."

"Yeah," Bill said. "Who are you?"

"You've obviously met my niece, and that's Steven, Annie, and Nancy. I'm Jasmine Black, welcome to the club."

Bill's face became nervous when he heard Jasmine's name. "Oh, um... well,... I think... I think I need to go. Bye." He took off dragging his trunk behind him.

Nymphadora looked after him, her expression curious and a little upset. "What'd he do that for?" she asked, annoyed. "We were gonna be friends."

Jasmine's face was one of wonder, no one had even seen her wear it before. Her clenched jaw and the sad realization behind her eyes made them cold.

"Auntie J?"

Jasmine blinked and her eyes moved to her niece. She sighed through her nose. "Don't know, but a lot of guys get weird around me," she said, in effort to bring back the comfort and humor those around her normally basked in and she noticed was now missing. As Jasmine gave a small smile, the warm twinkle returned to her eyes, and the compartment seemed to relax.

Nymphadora sat next to Steven who said, "Hey, hey, hey, so she's your aunt?"

"Yes."

"Damn, you're a lucky girl."

"Thanks," Nymphadora muttered. Anyone could tell she half expected Jasmine to tell Steven he needed to watch his language, but Jasmine didn't seem to care.

Outside, the landscape was whipping by and, inside, Brittany, Alec, and Josh came in the compartment discussing something rather loudly.

Jasmine gave a whistle - this one rivaling the train's. Everyone screamed and covered their ears.

"First off, we're gonna need some more room." Jasmine pulled out her wand, waved it, and the compartment magically expanded so there were enough seats for everybody plus two more for when Lauren and Patrick got in.

"Now, what the _heck_ is going on?!" Jasmine asked, using emphasis instead of the word she wanted.

"Patrick and Lauren will be here later," Alec explained.

"Yeah," Josh added, "they're _dating_."

Steven held back a snicker, Annie looked politely surprised, Nancy looked just plain shocked, and Nymphadora was indifferent, she didn't know them.

Jasmine, however, appeared as if she were expecting this.

"So why won't they be here until later?" she asked. "I mean, what? Do they think I've never seen two lovestruck teens suck face before or something?"

"Oh, no, it's not that," Brittany said, a hint of distaste in her voice. "Patrick's waiting for Lauren to be done at her _Prefect's_ meeting."

Jasmine immediately starting choking on a combination of air and her tonsils, and Steven had to lean over and pat her back until she could breathe.

"WHAT?!"

"It's true," the boys defended.

Jasmine slapped her forehead and slunk back in her seat while massaging her temples in a mild state of shock. "I don't know which is worse," she said to herself in a dejected voice, "one of my student _becoming_ a Prefect, or one of my students _dating _a Prefect."

* * *

When the witch with the food cart came by, Jasmine had, for the first time, spoken loud enough for everyone hear.

"Cough up, everyone," she said, not moving herself expect to take a few sickles and a galleon.

Steven gathered the money and bought a ton of everything, placing it in the middle of the compartment.

"Hungry, Jas?" Alec offered her a Pumpkin Pastry.

Jasmine took it, but forgot to unwrap it, until she bit it.

* * *

About half an hour later, Lauren and Patrick entered hand-in-hand.

Jasmine looked straight at Lauren, thought a moment for an appropriate word, and said, "Flying butt monkeys! What's gotten into you?!"

"What?" Lauren asked, turning her head. "It's only Patrick."

Jasmine slapped her head in frustration. "Oh, Merlin. The badge, Lauren, the badge!"

"Oh, goes nicely with my robes, doesn't it?" she said, looking at it fondly.

Steven was now trying very hard not to burst out laughing, and turned with his arm near his face to try and hide that fact.

"We got some work to do. Nymphadora, show them Fuzzie, I'm still baffled by that thing," Jasmine finished speaking more to herself again.

"Your name's Nymphadora?" Lauren asked. "That's pretty."

Nymphadora's eyes flashed. "I _prefer_ 'Tonks'."

Alec poked her in the shoulder. "Where'd you get Tonks from?"

"It's my surname."

"Oh."

Nymphadora pulled Fuzzie out of a basket - some people thought it was a pillow - and amazed everyone with the fact that she could stand without rolling over. Some of the students began trying to find her body under all the fuzz, including Nymphadora who didn't know.

"Now, Lauren, I'm not... _angry_, but-" Jasmine gave Lauren a long, passionate speech on how she had been forever shamed at school when her boyfriend became Prefect, then her best friend became Head Boy, and now her own student! turned against her! Jasmine couldn't find words to describe the apparent felony Lauren had committed.

Lauren spent the next twenty minutes convincing Jasmine that she had not, in fact, 'turned against her'.

After that was over with - Jasmine still not entirely convinced - the girls of the group, at least, were interested in the fact that Jasmine had a love life, or any kind of life, outside of Hogwarts. It wasn't until Jasmine swore they'd all take a long dive off the tower and into the lake that they stopped pestering her about it.

That was when Jasmine chose to say, "He was hot and we had sex... multiple times."

Her class stared, shocked that she would say that.

Jasmine looked around at the startled faces, except for Nymphadora, Annie, and Nancy.

"Auntie J, what's-"

"ASK-" Jasmine swiftly raised a hand and cut her off "-your mother." She relaxed back into her seat. "And you didn't hear about it from me."

* * *

Jasmine was sitting at the teacher's table in the Great Hall, balancing her fork on her spoon and waiting for the sorting to start.

McGonagall led in a chain of first years who looked decently scared as Hagrid slipped in the back door and sat down in his chair next to Jasmine.

Jasmine could tell her niece was nervous as her hair kept changing color. She figured Nymphadora probably didn't know because she was still mastering complete control of her Metamorphus powers and, when feeling a strong emotion, they may go haywire or cease to exist.

She leaned over. "Hey, Hagrid."

"Hmm?"

"See the girl with the changing hair?" she asked, discreetly pointing to her.

Nymphadora had just spotted her aunt and gave a small wave. Jasmine smiled encouragingly and waved back.

"Yeh mean the one who waved?"

"Yup. That's my niece."

"I thought yeh mighta been related, she does seem somethin' like yeh, and her face looks a bit like yers."

Jasmine smiled. "Thanks, Hagrid."

* * *

McGonagall was going through the list of students. "Tonks, Nymphadora."

Nymphadora came forward,nearly tripped, and her hair, changing the most random of colors - now electric blue, disappeared under the Sorting Hat. After a few seconds, which must have seemed like an eternity to the trembling girl, the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" for the hall to hear.

Jasmine jumped up, "YES!", and clapped her hands hard.

Nymphadora jumped up, took off the hat, placed on the stool - it fell off - and went to the Gryffindor table smiling at her aunt who gave her the thumbs up, and sat with Steven, Nancy, and Annie.

* * *

**_A/N: If you could review, I'd appreciate it._**


	16. September 3, 1983

Jasmine had a fulfilling day. She annoyed the newest DADA teacher - who looked worthy of murder - snuck to the kitchens and reunited with the house-elves like every year past, and successfully made McGonagall crack during class like she hadn't been able to do since the time of the Marauders, and was sent to Dumbledore's office because of it.

Once there, she helped herself to the Headmaster's lemon drop supply like she usually did when she was in trouble, as the old man said, there was no better time for a lemon drop than when one was in trouble or upset.

The first thing Dumbledore said after spotting her was, "Do I want to know, Miss Black?"

"No, sir," came the response. So she spent about half an hour telling him why she should be able to get back from Filch everything he had taken from the Marauders when they were at school. She about had the Professor convinced when he asked what Filch took. Instead of giving a specific answer, Jasmine told him it was in a drawer labeled 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'.

Dumbledore actually told her to, "Get out."

So Jasmine went down to Hagrid's hut to visit with him and Fang, something the Marauders had done and she hadn't for a while.

Now, she was in her classroom setting up. Again, Jasmine set out fifteen of everything, but this time, eight of everything was used and had an owner.

Jasmine sat on her desk and checked her watch; it was halfway through the last hour of classes for the day.

The door opened, and Jasmine looked up as Steven came in.

"You skipping? Good man."

"No, free period."

"Damn you."

Steven chuckled as he sat on his desk from last year.

"Hey, Jas?"

"Yeah."

"I gotta talk to you about something."

"Shoot."

"I, um, I'm graduating this year, and I'm gonna need a job."

"Oh think not of bad times, but remember the good," Jasmine said as she fell on her back atop the desk with her hands over her heart.

"No, really, all joking aside. I've had that career discussion thing with McGonagall and all, but I don't have any idea what I want to do."

Jasmine sat up, thinking. "You ever consider a Ministry career?"

"Working for you?"

"Well, when you put it like that-- of course working for me! Would I suggest it otherwise? I'm one of the few, very few, people there who don't f-- eff up the place," Jasmine caught and corrected herself, the 'f-bomb' being the only word she didn't allow because of the younger students. "Actually, my intern just got a job in the US, so the position's open."

"Yeah, sure! What'd I do?"

"Whatever I tell you."

"Like a secretary." His voice fell.

"With benefits, and you aren't considered one. Plus you'll probably get advancement options."

"Benefits like what? And how do you mean 'probably'?"

"Well, what d'ya say we go into details later. Oh, but how much do you like sleep?"

Steven stared at her.

"Don't worry, you'll learn to love the job and hate the sleep."

"Well as long as you say so. After all, it's the first job I've even thought I might be interested in. But I suppose I'll need to take the N.E.W.T.s now, huh?"

Jasmine laughed. "Well at least the pay is good, and I'll make sure you don't have to pass."

* * *

When the bell rang, seven students walked in.

"Where's Nymphadora?" Jasmine asked.

No one knew.

"All right, just a minute." Jasmine walked out the door and down a few corridors to a small chip in the wall. She stuck her wand to it and said, "Magical Mischief Making Marauder."

The cracks in the wall formed a small door, and Jasmine's wand stuck to become the handle. she pulled the door open and slipped inside, withdrawing her wand and closing the door behind her.

Jasmine took a deep breath and smiled as she looked st her surroundings, the Marauder Head Quarters, MHQ. There were five cushy armchairs placed in a row facing a podium, on top of which was a gavel and a bowl. Each chair was made of a burgundy velvet and furnished with mahogany; and the end of each arm rest was carved into the animal head of its owner, identified by the elegant initials carved on top: MW, MM, MP, MP, MW, corresponding with the Marauders' dormitory arrangement, the beds' owners from window to wall.

There was a large table behind the chairs where any major prank planning took place, and a slightly smaller table where an everlasting supply of snacks and beverages were kept. The two tales were divided by five swivel stools for easy access to both tables.

On the wall next to the chairs and larger table, opposite the door, was a large fireplace with 'MARAUDERS' carved into the mantle edge. On the mantle was a poster by the Marauders reading 'Marauders - Pranks From Us' that they would hang on the door of whichever train compartment they ended up in; at the end of seventh year, the Marauders decided to leave it in the MHQ so it wouldn't get lost if they ended up having to live far away from each other.

In the back half of the room, hugging the walls, were enormous filing cabinets. In them, was an account for each and every prank the Marauders had ever pulled or thought of - Filch's cabinets were nothing compared to this - as well as the results of the pranks. Also residing in the cabinets were reports on everything the Marauders did for a good time that broke a notable school rule, and there was also a place for every device they had used to help them succeed Marauder style - i.e. the Marauders' Map, invisibility cloak, dung bombs.

But what Jasmine was focused on, as she walked across the room to touch her old seat, was what was on the wall behind the podium; the original Marauders' Map, and it was bigger than her. The Marauders had made this one first, before the smaller version, to be certain it would work correctly before creating one they would carry around and rely on.

She went up to the large map and located the dot label 'Nymphadora Tonks' - no easy feat - wondering by the trophy room. Using some secret short cuts, Jasmine managed to get there in under fifteen minutes, but they had to go back to long way.

* * *

Jasmine and Nymphadora got back to the classroom and found a zoo. The amount of commotion going on, courtesy of the party animals, was worse than any house party Jasmine had ever been to.

Jasmine walked straight up to the blackboard and ran her fingernails down it.

Everyone immediately shut up in haste to cover their ears.

Getting rid of what wouldn't be needed, Jasmine said, "Ok, same as last year, start with whatever and use targets, not each other. Steven, you're the oldest and according to the law of something I don't know 'cause I'm too lazy to think of it, you should be the most maturest, wait, that doesn't make sense, ah, oh well, so make sure no one gets killed. I'll help if you do need help though, or if someone gets hit with something sharp."

"Is this punishment for having fun?" Alec asked. "Making do what we should be?"

"Consider it so. I should put you all in detention. But I'm not gonna do that, you know too much about my teaching habit." Jasmine smiled and winked as she resumed her sitting position atop her desk, and the 'class' laughed.

* * *

For the next, almost, two hours, Jasmine coached the students who had all lined up and were trying to hit a bull's eye painted on the wall.

When the 'class' was over, Jasmine headed back to MHQ. She was about to pull out her wand when she spotted the lamp like eyes of Mrs. Norris, caretaker's cat.

"Oh, haven't choked to death on a mangy hair ball, yet, ya p.o.s.? Don't worry, you will in time. Now get lost, I'm not a student and I'm well within my limits, so Filch doesn't have anything to hold over my head."

Mrs. Norris continued to stare up at her in a way that, over the years - or rather days - the Marauders came to know meant 'You're in trouble now'.

"Go on, git." Jasmine swung a foot in Mrs. Norris's face as if to kick her, but the scrawny cat just hissed.

"Wait, I'm _not_ a student anymore," Jasmine said more to herself than the cat as an old grin crept onto her face accompanied by her infamous eye twinkle.

She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Mrs. Norris.

"Now, let's see. Ah, I know; Phanteemo."

Jasmine stepped back and took a minute to admire her handiwork. "There," she said with a smirk. "Instant phantom."

Mrs. Norris had turned pearly white and transparent, and was hovering a few inches off the ground.

Jasmine laughed to herself as the victimized cat took off running in midair. Turning back to the hidden door, she said to herself, "Oh, I'll do that in the morning."

* * *

**_A/N: If you could, please review and maybe read some of my other fics._**


	17. September 4, 1983

Jasmine entered the Great Hall the next morning in a relatively good mood, at least better than she had been in for a long time.

Sitting down next to McGonagall and looking around, she said, "Hey, where's Filch? I thought he'd be in the corner looking for food fights." 

In all honesty, Jasmine didn't really care, she just wanted to be able to plan how to sabotage him for setting his cat on her. The phantom thing was for Mrs. Norris, she had yet to begin on Filch. 

"Haven't you heard?" McGonagall asked. "Apparently, his cat died last night and he's in mourning as she wanders the castle as a 'cat ghost'." 

"Oh, she's not dead _per say_." 

McGonagall turned her head sharply. "What?!" 

Jasmine could tell without looking that McGonagall's mouth was thinning rapidly. She had felt this angry, glaring stare before. 

"I turned her into a phantom when she wouldn't get lost, but I wouldn't call her 'dead'." 

"Albus, are you hearing this?!" 

"Yes, I am. And while, Miss Black, the majority of the school would find this rather, uh, amusing, Mr. Filch does _not_ think so. You will change Mrs. Norris back to her natural state." 

"Well where is she? I need to say the spell _at_ her for it to work right. I mean, you can't exactly use a summoning charm on a, for lack of better term, dead cat." 

"You said she wasn't dead!" McGonagall hissed at her. 

"Well, she's not, but she's still a ghost." 

"Miss Black, you will look out for Mrs. Norris and put her back to her usual form when you find her. If Professor McGonagall or myself finds her first, we will keep her in one place and you will come set her right." 

"Yes, Professor, but wouldn't it be easier if I just gave you the spell?" 

"Are you trying to get out of this?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. 

"Yes." 

"Then no, I'm afraid not." 

"Yes, sir."

* * *

It didn't take long for Jasmine to find Mrs. Norris, thanks to the immobile Marauders' Map. One she caught up with her, she found Filch sobbing hysterically and trying to pet his cat. He looked up as he realized Jasmine was there. 

Filch's expression turned to angry. "You! It was you! You killed my cat! I'll kill you! You've killed her!" 

"Oh, sober up! I didn't _kill_ her, I just turned her into a ghost." 

"She's dead! Mrs. Norris is dead because of you! It's your fault! I'll kill you for this! You're no better than you were at school! No better than your murdering cousin who got himself landed in Azkaban!" 

Filch said all of this extremely fast, but Jasmine heard every word, and he had hit a nerve. Jasmine had always enjoyed watching Filch spaz out, but now, she was anything but amused. 

In a quiet, deadly voice, she snarled, "Take that back." 

Filch seemed to know he hit that nerve. "No! You killed my cat just like he killed those people!" 

BANG! 

Filch was thrown against the wall. 

Furiously, Jasmine whipped out her wand and pointed it at the now cowering Filch. "SECTU-- no." 

She came to her senses and lowered her wand, then swung it back up. With a flash off light, Filch was hanging upside-down in midair. 

"HELP!" he yelled. 

"Shut UP!" Jasmine gave her wand a jab and sound ceased to come out of Filch's open mouth. 

"There. Now...," Jasmine waved her wand at the cat, and Mrs. Norris became fur once more. Another fash of light and jab of the wand, and Mrs. Norris was upside-down and silent as her master. 

Jasmine huffed in a satisfied manner before turning on her and walking away.

* * *

She went back to her old Head Quarters and stood behind the podium, her hands on either side of it and her head bowed. Jasmine looked up, as if to address the chairs, her eyes filled with the sorrow that had felt so normal. She reached into the bowl and pulled out the five slips of paper residing in it. Finding the one labeled 'Marauder Wormtail' and ripped it in half. Instantly, his chair and stool, the ones closest to the door, vanished, but his name stayed on the map because, after all, _had_ helped make it... a little. 

The other stools and chairs re-centered themselves. 

"Should have done that a long time ago," Jasmine said to the empty room as she placed the other four slips of parchment back. 

Jasmine smiled to herself as she recollected memories of the room. Whenever there was a Marauder Meeting, she would pick a name out of the bowl that decided who directed the meeting, unless it was an Emergency Meeting, then whoever called it directed it. 

She went over ad sat in her chair, like she had at school - her back in the right corner was her legs and feet hanging over the left armrest. Jasmine waved a hand and a roaring fire appeared in the fireplace and filled the room with warmth. 

Jasmine helped herself to a Cauldron Cake, not yet stale, and a butterbeer from the everlasting stock before going through some of the old files the Marauders wrote, and then headed off to the Great Hall for dinner. 


	18. December 24, 1983

**_A/N: I know, I'm really bad with the skipping over great lengths of time! I promise it'll slow down as the story progresses, or at least I'll try to make it._**

* * *

****

Christmas carols were playing softly in the background as Jasmine, Nymphadora, Andromeda, and Ted watched snow fall peacefully outside the window. The Christmas tree was glowing red, green, and gold as a soft fire crackled warmly beneath the stockings hung on the mantle. Holly and mistletoe were abundantly hanging in the house, and the smell of poinsettia and pineneedles filled the air. 

While the peaceful, calm setting was nothing compared to Christmas at Hogwarts, both Jasmine and Nymphadora were glad to be home. 

It was getting a bit late in the evening, the stars were out, and street lights illuminated the town and falling snow. Nymphadora yawned and cuddled closer to her father. 

"I think it's time for bed," Andromeda whispered to Ted as Nymphadora fell into a silent slumber. Ted picked her up and carried her to her room as Andromeda got up to follow. 

She placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You going to stay up a while longer?" 

Jasmine nodded, still staring out the window, her eyes not seeing lay outside. 

"Happy Christmas, Jas." 

"Happy Christmas, Andromeda." 

Jasmine waited for the sound of two doors closing and all noise save the carols from the radio to stop before sinking back into the cushy chair she was sitting in. Thoughts weighed heavy on her mind, and the tugging on her heart led her to decide upon a rash and potentially foolish decision. 

Turning off the radio, Jasmine silently went to her room and unearthed something she had salvaged over two years ago, that night... 

Back in the kitchen, Jasmine scribbled down what was supposed to be a Christmas tree on a folded piece of parchment, writing 'Happy Christmas, Pads' on the inside. Jasmine ran two fingers down the unrecognizable drawing, and it resembled a tree not unlike her sister's in their leave. 

She grabbed her cloak and carefully placed the card inside of it along with the delicate object from her room, then stepped outside before apparating to Privet Drive. 

Jasmine carefully crept in the shadows to Number Four and peeked in the window. She found the sitting room where Petunia and a fat man she presumed to be Vernon sat with a chubby three-year-old boy; but Jasmine couldn't find Harry, this worried her, and Jasmine Black was not one easily worried. 

She crept around the back, and used 'Alohomora' to get the door open. Jasmine snuck inside and closed the door behind her. The object in her cloak, a teddy bear, the same bear she had given Harry when he was born, the one he loved to chew up, Jasmine gingerly took it out before transforming into Tips. As Tips, she picked up the bear, named 'Blotchy' by Harry once he first started voicing a few words, in her mouth and went to look for her godson. Jasmine knew she had to stay hidden, if Dumbledore found out she was here, she would be at the receiving end of his anger, not something she would've normally minded, but when it was access to her godson at stake... 

Jasmine crept around, her senses amplified as a fox. When she saw the door to the cupboard under the stairs ajar, she was drawn to it, but she didn't want to look, she didn't want to see; she knew that was where Harry was. She snuck over to the door, and used her nose to open it just enough to slip inside. 

What she saw: Harry, her godson, whom she loved as her own son, sitting alone in the dark in a cupboard under the stairs, which was apparently his room by the looks of it, and more so on Christmas Eve, killed her inside. 

The fox's eyes filled with tears as she remembered Harry's first Christmas. Even though he had only been five months old, everyone could see how happy he was, and they all knew he understood love. But he didn't understand this. Why everyone he knew and loved would seemingly abandon him to this loveless life. Why no one came to save him. And seeing him like this was more than Jasmine could handle. 

Jasmine had planned on just dropping off the bear and leaving - she had written "Hope you still like Blotchy as much as you did when I first gave him to you! Happy 3rd Christmas, Harry! Love, MW" on a tag she placed around its neck - but now, as she looked at Harry, even at this young age, she noticed how he looked exactly like James, except for Lily's startling green eyes, she wondered how she could simply leave him, especially after he had been alone so long. But she would have, it would ruin his life even more is she took him with her; he'd have to run from the law, never get to attend Hogwarts, never visit Diagon Alley, or any other place in the Wizarding world. If he stayed, he'd at least have a chance to get his life back. 

"Fox," the small boy said, with his three-year-old accent. "Foxy," he repeated, holding his small hands out to her. 

_He's talking,_ Jasmine realized. _He couldn't pronounce 'fox' before._ It seemed like just yesterday Harry was practicing 'mama'. 

"Foxy," Harry said again as he stood up and waddled over to her, wanting to pet the animal he recognized. 

At first, Jasmine was worried he'd fall and hurt himself, but she realized if he was talking, he was probably walking. Just how much of his life did she miss, and how more would she? It wasn't fair, not to her, not to Harry, not to Sirius, Remus, James or Lily. Why was it their lives that had been destroyed? If they really did so much as to deserve this on Earth, what was it they deserved when they died? But why Harry too? What could a three-year-old have possibly done? 

Harry plopped down next to Jasmine and began to pet her. Jasmine smiled to herself and cuddled up to her godson, giving him a lick on the nose. 

Harry stuck a small fist in her large ear, and Jasmine leapt back in surprise. Harry's emerald eyes filled with hurt, and Jasmine quickly tickled him with her black nose and licked his cheek. 

Harry giggled, but looked at his godmother quizzically as she turned around and grabbed Blotchy, handing him to Harry, who immediately recognized it, and held the bear close, falling on his back and giggling with glee. 

Jasmine gave Harry one last look before the crying fox turned to do the hardest thing she had to do yet, leave. The clock struck midnight, it was Christmas Day. 


	19. December 25, 1983

As Jasmine was checking if the way to the door was clear for her to leave, she heard a small voice say, "Jasy." 

She whipped around, not daring to believe her own ears. 

Harry was sitting up, his green eyes pouring into Jasmine's grey. "Jasy." 

_He remembered._ There was no other explanation, Harry had always called her that, that same annoying name Sirius did. Jasmine quickly closed the door with her paw and changed back to her usual form. She took in a deep breath to calm her nervous breathing, and wiped her eyes of the forming tears; she dared not hope. 

"Harry?" 

Harry gave her a bright smile and said, "Jasy," one more time, satisfied and expressing his happiness of seeing her. He crawled as fast as he could into his godmother's waiting arms to give her a hug she hadn't received in years. 

Jasmine held him close and tight as Harry sat in her lap. She felt the tears come back as she first realized this wasn't a dream, and then again when she knew there was no way for her to stay, or for Harry to leave. 

"Oh, Harry, I love you so much," she whispered more to herself than Harry. 

"I wuv you, too." 

Jasmine smiled and gave the small child a kiss on the cheek, not missing the curse of a scar on his forehead that would mark him for life. 

"Where Mummy?" 

Jasmine closed her eyes, knowing she should have expected this. But how can you tell a three-year-old his parents are dead? 

"Jasy, where Mummy?" 

She took another calming breath before answering to the best of her ability. "Harry, Mummy's gone." She was looking him in the eyes now, although she wanted to look anywhere but. 

"She come back?" 

"No," Jasmine answered, her voice pained as she began to cry, knowing Harry's young heart had to be breaking, knowing she was responsible. "No, and she can't come back. She wants to though, she wants to so much." 

Harry thought about what she had said for a minute. "Where Daddy?" 

_Oh, why?_ Jasmine thought, why did it always have to be her? 

"Daddy's gone too, baby." She could no longer feel the tears she knew were falling down her face. At least Harry would see that it's ok to be sad. 

"Why?" He was ready to cry himself now. 

Jasmine paused, Harry was so young, so innocent. She didn't want to take that from him, not when his parents were already taken. She couldn't tell him he had to be alone for a few more years still. But she had to say something, even though she had no idea what; while she had always loved Harry and was able to take care of him no problem, she couldn't grasp the nurturing part, couldn't think of what to say the would be in the child's best interest... 

"They're dead, Harry. When people die... they can't come back... no matter how much they want to... Harry? Harry, do you understand?" 

Harry was crying, he wanted his parents, he needed them. "Dhey wuv me?" 

"Oh, of course! Of course they love you! They love you with all their hearts, more than anything! They'd do anything to be with you right now." 

"I wuv Mummy an Daddy too." 

"I know you do, baby, I know." 

"Where Paddy?" 

"Sirius is gone too." There was no denying, her voice was breaking beyond belief. "So is Remus." 

"Will dhey come bak?" Harry's voice was so sad and hurt that Jasmine couldn't help but hold him as close and tight as possible. 

"I hope so, Harry, I hope so." 

A few minutes later, Jasmine tried to put on a smile, and asked, "Harry, can I have a big smile, please?" 

Harry nodded and smiled, even brighter than before. 

"Ok," Jasmine said, taking out the camera she used to take humiliating pictures of the Marauders. 

She snapped a photo of Harry, now glad that she had it with her. 

"Can I have a kiss?" 

"Yes, ou can," Harry said, giving her one. 

"Aww, thank you." 

"You're welcalm," he said, sitting down and picking up Blotchy again. 

"Harry, I have to go now, but I'll be back as soon as I possibly can, ok? I promise," Jasmine told Harry, beginning to die on the inside. 

"Ou promice?" 

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, I prom_ice_." 

Harry got up and hugged her once more. "I wuv ou, Jasy." 

"Love you too, kid." She kissed his forehead and transformed back into Tips, then snuck out of the cupboard, the hardest thing she ever had to do. 

Despite of everything, she was seething. How dare they treat her godson like this?! She should take him with her, she knew she should. But she knew, also, that were she to take Harry there would be nothing she could do to make his life better in the long run. Jasmine knew that she'd be on the run with a three-year-old, who'd never get to go to Hogwarts. She had no choice.

* * *

Jasmine got out of the house and found a dark alley to change back to herself in. Once she did, Jasmine took out her wizarding camera and tapped it twice with her wand. Two photographs of Harry came out, and she hid them in her cloak. 

In Diagon Alley, she went to the Owl Post Office, and asked the witch there, despite the early hour, for a sturdy, hard-wearing owl. 

"Well, this one can certainly beat the weather," the witch said. 

Once Jasmine had the owl, she grabbed a quill and quickly jotted down "Guess who misses you?" on the back of one of the pictures and tied it and the Christmas card to the bird's leg, along with a quick, temporary spell on the entire owl. 

Jasmine spent the rest of the day in a bar, not bothering to realize it was Christmas, and aimlessly walked around London.

* * *

When she got home, Jasmine found everyone sitting around the tree. 

Andromeda was the first on her feet. 

"Jasmine Black, where have you been?!" her sister demanded. It was obvious they knew she had left the house before they had even woke. 

"Out," was the only reply, and it wasn't completely sober. Jasmine felt tears, again, and was amazed that she had only cried once in her life before October 31, 1981. She was about to retreat to her room when Andromeda turned her around and hugged her tightly. 

Jasmine cried into her sister's shoulder, not knowing what else to do. 

"I won't tell," Andromeda whispered, knowing exactly where Jasmine had been. 

"Thank you." 

"Just get some rest now, everything will still be here in the morning." 

Jasmine nodded and went to her room.

* * *

Sirius didn't know how much time had passed, and he wondered if it even existed in the hellhole that housed his life. 

He looked out the small, barred window, and, to his amazement, saw an owl. But owls never come to Azkaban, they wouldn't be allowed. He had to be hallucinating. 

But no, the owl sat on the ledge of the window, and stuck its leg through the bars. 

Sirius reached up to it and took the note; the owl stayed put. He unfolded the message to see a picture fall out, but he left that for the moment and read the note first. 'Happy Christmas, Pads!' and a shining Christmas tree. Sirius knew who it was from, after all, who else could get an owl to fly to Azkaban at Christmas undetected? 

The picture lay momentarily forgotten as Sirius ripped off a part of the unused parchment and wrote, using his finger and some of the mud that covered his cell, 'Happy Christmas, Tips.' He tied it to the owl's leg and sent it off. 

As he placed his cousin's card in his robes, he noticed the photo on the ground; the back said, 'Guess who misses you?' Sirius picked it up and smiled to see the person he cared about the most smiling back at him: Harry. 

Looking at the picture caused the cold of the dementors to come back. Sirius quickly closed his eyes and repeated, "innocent, innocent, innocent," in his mind until it lessened. 

Then he took time to really look at the picture as Padfoot. Harry was older, and he looked even more like James, except for the eyes that Sirius could have recognized anywhere. His heart filled with pride as he thought of his tiny godson.

* * *

As Jasmine was getting ready for bed, nine hours after leaving Diagon Alley, she heard a soft tap at her window. She opened it, letting in a gust of cold and the owl she had sent to Sirius that morning. 

She read the note, smiling, and sent the owl back to the post office, then placed the note in a small shoebox she kept full of notes photos that meant something important to her. 

Jasmine put the shoebox back under her bed, and knocked on the wall. She heard a small knock back. 

"Happy Christmas, squirt. Sorry I was gone all day." 

"Happy Christmas, Auntie J, just open my present first tomorrow!" 

"You got it, good night." 

"Good night."

**_A/N: I know it probably wasn't my best and I should have gotten it out sooner. Hope you enjoyed though!_**


	20. January 7, 1984

Although it was the first Monday back in classes, Jasmine decided to have a 'class' of her own - she would normally prefer to wait a few weeks so that everyone, namely herself, could get back in the swing of things.

Today, due to Steven asking the not-so-simply-answered question in the direct quote of "So, Jas, no offense, this class is cool and all, but why'd you decide to teach it? It's not like it will be much help against You-Know-Who's supporters, will it?" the entire 'class' was in the midst of a discussion.

"Well," Jasmine, who was wearing Nymphadora's present - a sweater she had made with her mother's magical help, answered, "whenever I would fight a battle against Death Eaters, I'd always like-"

"Wait. _You fought against Death Eaters_?!" Alec asked, amazed. Not one person there didn't know what Death Eaters were.

"Yes, but don't even bother asking about that. I'll tell you what I tell you. Anywho, I'd always like, or feel more comfortable, having this knife with me." She pulled out the knife she carried and continued. "It has, believe it or not, saved my life."

"How?" Even though the students weren't all from pureblood ancestry, they still were wondering how a Muggle device, however dangerous, could help in life threatening situations against the biggest practicers of the Dark Arts.

"Well, if ever I fell or was pinned and couldn't move or get up, the blade has a strong mirror effect... which I put on it, and I could use it to deflect any curses, etc. if I couldn't get to my wand. Believe me, the more you prepare to lose your wand in a battle, the more it happens. Plus, if you need to take something a step above defense Muggle weapons aren't easily traced by the Ministry of Magic, and the Muggles, well... aren't really a problem." Jasmine had said this while resting her chin in her hand, but when she finished she realized that those ending words probably weren't the best, and close her mouth putting a few fingers in front of it, and her expression read 'Uh, oops.'

A couple of the boys exchanged knowing looks. "Do Death Eaters ever fight back using Muggle weapons?"

Jasmine effortlessly recomposed herself when asked the next question. "Sometimes, yes. I mean, everyone once in a while one or two of them will, just to, you know, 'rise to the challenge.'"

"So you've actually used swords and arrows against Death Eaters?"

"No, just the knife and sometimes a sword. Archery was just a hobby. Yeah, Gryffindor actually had a magnificent sword, swordplay, or fencing, whatever, just kinda went out of style. But yes, I have used a sword, and hand-to-hand combat."

"Wow," Annie and Nancy whispered together.

"Did You-Know-Who ever put a price on your head?" Steven asked, almost jokingly.

Jasmine gave him a look suggesting superior knowledge and raised an eyebrow. "Well, you never really know, do you?" She wasn't about to tell them she had been a spy for Dumbledore.

"Well, have you ever fought, um... fought You-Know-Who?" Patrick asked nervously.

"What, you mean dueled one-on-one against Voldemort?"

The class all either shuddered or gasped, seemingly involuntarily.

"Yes, I have, only once, and don't ask me to tell you about it, because I won't," she said, cutting off the unasked question that would remain unanswered.

There were some signs of disproval among the class, but Jasmine cut those off as well. "Oh, crap. If y'all don't get back to your Common Rooms in the next five minutes you're going to be outta bed after hours."

"But why do you care?" Brittany asked, accusingly.

Jasmine sighed. "Cause I'll get blamed, now go!" In all truth and honesty, she didn't care, she was just done with the conversation.

* * *

When nearly everyone had gone, including Nymphadora, Jasmine asked, "So whatcha still doing here, Steven?"

"Seventh year," he replied simply. "I don't need to be back in the tower for another hour yet."

"Ah, yes, a privilege denied to those in my year."

"Really? Why?" Steven asked, sitting up on a desk.

"Because of the Marauders," she answered casually, hoisting herself onto her desk, sitting Indian style.

"So they _were_ real."

Jasmine looked at him as though he had just sprouted three additional heads. "Duh. Are you saying you thought me to be a liar?... Well, I _am_ a liar, so nevermind."

"Well, not a _liar_ persay, so then, who were they? I know you know, and you did say that when I take that job I get to know everything."

Jasmine raised a dubious eyebrow. "Everything?"

Steven shrugged. "You give the impression that you know everything."

"Yeah, because I _do_ know everything. And you'd do well not to forget it. Well, I guess I can tell you, after all, you'll need to know sooner or later..." Jasmine broke off, as if talking to herself.

"Why?"

"Oh! Well, once you get to the Ministry... at the Ministry-- Well, you'll just need to know for future reference."

"Ok..."

"Just remember this is all information been classified, and if one bit of it gets out... Let's just say that you won't be able to tell another."

"You'll kill me?" Steven asked, not believing that.

"No, I'll just rip your tongue out."

Steven believed that.

"Ok then, the Marauders. M, W, P, P, W. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Whitetip."

Steven made a noise, as if he were going to say something.

"No interruptions or no telling of informative knowledge."

The teenager's mouth shut.

"They were, without a doubt, the best pranking masters in the history of Hogwarts, better than Peeves, even. Actually, there were times when Peeves was honored to help them out-"

"One interruption?"

Jasmine sighed. "If you must."

"You can stop saying 'they.' You wouldn't be saying this if you weren't one of them, and I can guess that this information was 'classified' by the Marauders?"

Jasmine just looked him over for a moment, nodding slightly. "I knew I liked you. Alright then, _we_-"

"Which one were, sorry, are you?"

"'Are?'"

"Mrs. Norris and Filch, I'm guessing that wasn't an accident."

"Oh, for crying out loud. Steven, what the hell?!"

"Um, what?"

"Your grades! You're obviously a smart kid, so why don't you just apply yourself so you can actually get the damn job!"

"Um.."

"Oh, crap, I sound like... well, not my mother, she didn't want me to get job just to get out of the house..." Jasmine finished off, again, as if talking more to herself than Steven. "Anyways! Marauders, yes- I am Whitetip, or Tips-"

"For a reason?"

"Yes, 'for a reason,' and you only said one interruption."

Thinking fast, Steven said, "I meant one at a time."

"Yeah, whatever. Anywho-" Jasmine proceeded to tell him about how she had one witch friend, whom she liked because she didn't swoon over her four nincompoop wizard friends, all of which she had since first year. She got through how one of those nincompoop friends was a werewolf and how they decided to become Animagus to help him out before another interruption.

"Hold it, hold it. _You're_ an _illegal_ Animagus?"

"Yes, now shut up."

"Sorry."

"That's ok. Well, the animals were turned into gave the inspiration for our nicknames and we continued our pranking, uh, entrepreneurship. That's the story of the Marauders, the end."

"Wait, that's not the end, because you didn't tell me the end. Besides, I asked who the Marauders are."

Jasmine, again, sighed. "I knew it wasn't gonna be that easy."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to throw some names at you. You tell me if they ring a bell, and I'll try to fill in whatever I need to. It could also help you understand why you'll need to know this all sooner or later."

"Ok."

"Moony, Remus Lupin; Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew; Padfoot, Sirius Black; Prongs, James Potter."

"Ok, I'm guessing that your witch friend must have been Lily Potter."

"Yes."

"And that Sirius Black is related to you, but you're here now because he killed two of your friends and was taken to Azkaban?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. Sirius is my cousin, yes, and so I'm guessing that you read about me in the paper since I'm also guessing that was your main source of information?"

Steven nodded.

"Well, here some more stuff to wrap your brain around: Harry Potter, son of Lily and James, is my godson, of course I'm only seen as his guardian in the Wizarding World, and there my rights are being held back by- I'm not going into that, Remus was the boyfriend I told you all about, and Sirius is innocent."

Steven just thought for a moment. "So that's why you're here then, you're waiting for your godson. Now this whole class thing makes sense. But how can Sirius Black be innocent, he murdered thirteen people in the middle of the day!"

"Yes, that's why I'm here, but as for Sirius..." She couldn't talk about it, still. "I'll get into that another time. Now you have to go back to the tower."

Steven sighed this time, recognizing defeat before a battle could even begin. "Alright, then. 'Night Jas."

"Yeah, you too."

The door shut, and Jasmine was left alone in an empty classroom.

"My class hasn't made sense until now?" she questioned herself, then shrugged. "Ah, fu- screw it."

She smiled, almost momentarily being brought back to her old self.

**_A/N: Sorry for taking such a long time to add the new chapter, major revision so I hope you liked it!_**


	21. January 8, 1984

That afternoon, there was a Double Charms class, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins; they practiced Banishing Charms with cushions and boxes stationed at their tables and across the room, respectively. Jasmine, who had gotten into the habit of sitting around in different classes every class day depending on whom she felt like seeing or annoying, was watching Lauren and Brittany chat while they practiced, and had to admit they could use a little help. For what she was sure had to be the first time in her life though, Jasmine had the self control to sit in a classroom where the assignment was 'make things fly across the room' and not fly the objects into the back of her unliked classmates' heads. Of course, these weren't her classmates, and while she wasn't going to attack the students now that she had graduated, she did recognize a few names from families she'd like to have a go at. However, she did not have the self control to jinx a couple of the boxes to not accept cushions that came from the side of the room where Slytherins were seated. Professor Flitwick, apparently, had come to the decision they just had exceptionally bad aim.

As a small knock was heard at the door, Flitwick had to dive under a desk to avoid being steam rolled then smashed by a table someone had accidentally banished instead of a cushion before squeaking "Come in."

"Sorry, Professor."

"That's all right, Miss Revon." Flitwick turned his attention to the door. "Can I help you, Mr. Affle?"

"Professor Dumbledore sent me, sir. Said he needed to speak with Miss Black in his office."

Jasmine thought over that morning, quickly scanning its events - or lack there of - in her head. "Ok," she said slowly, still trying to figure out what she had done to get her sent to the Headmaster's office as a graduated student, not for the first time.

She repaired the table that had smashed - as Flitwick chased a banished student around the room, both himself and the student who cast the spell trying to get ahold of him safely - with a flick of her wand and headed for the door, still thinking.

Patrick had waved Lauren a sassy wave, who giggled and returned a flirtatious one as Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Come on, loverboy," Jasmine said to Patrick, half dragging him out the door with her by the collar of his robes, not letting go until they had lost sight of Flitwick's door. "Now, where ever you're suppose to be, go."

Patrick looked at her as if she were telling a very unfunny joke.

"Oh, who am I kidding? Just stay out of trouble or Dumbledore will be after both of us... No, he'll be after me, so it's best you just go someplace you should be."

* * *

The dark haired witch came to the stone gargoyles and said the first wizarding sweet that popped into her head. After springing to life, Jasmine passed it to go up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office.

She knocked twice and walked in, still unsure about what she had done. To be more exact, what she had been caught doing. But Albus Dumbledore had an uncanny ability to be able to pinpoint the mastermind behind any scheme at Hogwarts.

"Whatever it was, you can't prove I did it; I have an alibi," Jasmine stated, holding up a finger, a decent finger, as if that were the alibi.

Dumbledore's eyes just looked at her in the same way they always had looked upon a Marauder in his office: slightly befuddled on what to do with them, slightly amused that they had pulled another great prank, and slightly disappointed that it had been pulled on Hogwarts staff and/or students. The rest of his face, however, unlike during Marauder school days, looked as if it were witnessed a very amusing joke.

"Sorry, sir," she said, as if just realizing the previous statement to come out of her mouth, and put her finger - along with the rest of her arm - down as she slid into a chair. "Old habits die hard; I've become accustomed to becoming defensive in this office for reasons I'm sure you have yet to forget."

"So it seems they do. However, I doubt there will ever come a day that I forget those reasons, even in my old age." There was a slight twinkle of mischief behind the wizard's half-moon spectacles. "For instance, of those old habits, you have always seemed to know when I was about to invite you to sit, and always do so at that very moment."

Jasmine took a sharp intake of breath. "Right."

Leaning back in his chair, the Headmaster's blue eyes examined her; and Jasmine knew it was time to shut the mind. But before she had the chance, she let a single word slip though it: _shit._

"Well, Miss Black, I am guessing you know why I've asked you here?"

"No, sir," she said, doing her best to disguise her use of Occlumency.

"Is there anything you have need to talk about? Anything you feel you need to say?"

"Not really, Professor, no." _Let's see, I've used illegal measures, illegal on many different levels, to commit an illegal act, also illegal on many levels, after I've been deemed a near threat to society. That shouldn't put me in Azkaban for too long, should it? Maybe I'll even get a cell next to Sirius's... or a couple inmates down, right next to him would turn into hell..._ But those thoughts she kept locked away where she knew even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to find them.

Dumbledore sighed. Jasmine took it as a good sign, for her, that there was some... was it frustration? in that sigh, where there was usually only disappointment.

* * *

There were still a couple of hours before supper, and Jasmine decided to go down to visit Hagrid since Nymphadora was in Transfiguration and Jasmine had been kicked out of there by McGonagall enough that week... yesterday. As she made her way across the frosted grounds, Jasmine pulled her cloak tightly around her to block the frigid wind.

The only response from knocking on Hagrid's front door was a weird barking noise.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Jasmine called over the barking and wind. "It's just me, open up! Hey, is Fang ok? His bark doesn't sound right."

"Er, not now, sorry, Jas. I'm kinda busy, yeh know, with Fang an' all," Hagrid called back, his voice muffled by the door and all the noise.

" 'And all?' Hagrid, what you got in there? You know me, I won't tell."

The only answer was another strange bark... barks.

"Hagrid, come on!" Jasmine heaved a sigh. She muttered to herself, "Too curious for my own damn good, and now I have to prove it. I know I'm probably not looking forward to seeing whatever it is he's got in there." She pounded on the door. "I can stand here all day, you know!"

The door swung open, and Jasmine started to say 'Well that's more like it,' but it came out 'What the _hell_ happened to you?'

"Shh! Yer scarin' him with all that bangin'! I'll explain everythin' inside!"

As soon as Jasmine was inside, the door was shut. Looking down at her knee level, 'shocked' only began to explain the look on Jasmine's face.

"In the name of Merlin, Hagrid! Is that a cerberus?"

"Yeah, his name's Fluffy. Isn't he adorable?" Hagrid asked, looking down on it fondly.

"Adorable, yeah. Um, Hagrid, I hate to burst your bubble an all that, but Fluffy's gonna fluff out, and then he'll be big enough to eat your house, let alone fit inside it." She didn't want to know where he got a three-headed dog, but she was sure it wasn't at a local pet shop.

"I know I can't keep him forever, but fer now I got ter. He's just a baby."

"Uh-huh." Jasmine could honestly say she'd heard that before, more than once, too.

"Hagrid," she started, slowly. A thought tore her from those of the cerberus. Dumbledore would never allow her to collect Harry for Hogwarts, still Muggle world, but maybe, just maybe. "Do you think you'll be the one getting Harry Potter when he's old enough to go to Hogwarts?"

"What?" His attention was on the dog, he didn't even seem to notice Fang cowering in the corner.

"Well, Dumbledore does usually ask you do important things like that."

With that, Hagrid looked away from Fluffy, his chest swelling with pride. "Well, I might be. Why?"

"I just wanted to know if you thought it'd be all right if I was to tag along. Of course I'd stay out of sight once you had him, no contact what-so-ever, but would you mind, really?" She bit her lip, looking up at him sadly, hoping everything had come out right.

"Yeh mean yeh don' think Dumbledore will let yeh get him?"

She sighed and looked at the floor. "Not alone, not while he's living in the Muggle world." She let a tear begin to form in one eye. Jasmine knew Hagrid didn't like Harry living with Muggles, and, though she felt bad for manipulating him, if she did it right, she that trip to Diagon Alley might not be spent completely in the shadows. Otherwise, she knew Dumbledore would have her waiting at the castle; he'd count Muggle world right up until the Hogwarts Express, he'd told her.

* * *

Feeling better about the day after the talk with Hagrid, Jasmine headed off to supper, forgetting the cold outside as she was greeted by the warmth inside Hogwarts. Walking up to the head table in the Great Hall, she tapped her niece on the head to get her to stop using her Metamorphmagus powers to morph at the table, though it wouldn't have been worth the effort had she not been rearranging her face and just accidentally stuffed carrots up her nose when aiming for her mouth.

The mouth on her forehead grinning sheepishly, she quickly put her features back where they belonged. "Sorry, Auntie J."

"You know, you're face really is going to get stuck like that."

Nymphadora grinned again, blushing, as Annie, Nancy, and Steven snickered.

"I'm too old for this," Jasmine muttered.

"You're not old," Nymphadora told her, staring curiously.

"No, but I'm not fifteen either. Whatever, I'm going to eat."

"Well, eat with us."

"I can't choose favorites," she said simply.

"I'm your niece!"

"And that's why everyone'll say I've chosen a favorite."

She could see what Nymphadora's hand was itching to do, something that had happened at home a lot.

"Don't even think about it, kido." Thankfully, no food went flying across the hall. 

**_A/N: The next chapter should be up sooner._**


	22. June 30, 1984

**_A/N: Yeah, I know, I should have updated sooner. But there was hardly anything that didn't change as I was editing the chapter. I think it turned out much better than what I originally had though._**

The landscape outside was a blur as the Hogwarts Express rattled closer to London, and home. Jasmine was sitting in a compartment with Nymphadora and the rest of her students, another year having been successfully spent learning as little as possible from her "classes". The students were either sleeping, reading, or playing a game. Jasmine, however, was absorbed in her own thoughts; pulling out a piece of parchment, quill, and ink from her bag, she began to write a letter she could never send, but in it was what she needed to say.

_What is it, they say? That your first love is the one you will never forget? I don't know if that is true, or not, but what I do know is that I would give nearly anything to have things back the way they were. I miss how it was at Hogwarts, things were so simple, we were so carefree. I miss you, and Sirius, and James, Lily, and Harry too. I don't miss our love though, even if I will never forget it, because now, I'm not so sure that it was so different from the love I felt for James. I think, though, that we both wanted something, enough to convince ourselves we had found it in each other. I still think about you, every day in fact; I wish I could see you again, hear your voice. You were always so reassuring, made all of us feel safe, I think. Has it really been three years? Life before now seems so distant, like a memory, a memory half-forgotten, like a dream. Did any of it really happen? I'm nearly sick thinking about it... Even if I love you only like a brother, I still love you. I love all of you, I miss you so much, Remus. I wish I could see you again, just to know that some things in this world are real...  
Yours, Forever and Always,  
Jasmine (a.k.a. Tips)

* * *

_As the train began to slow, Jasmine peered out the window and saw King's Cross. Haphazardly, she shoved the letter into her bag and shrunk her niece's trunk as the train stopped.

Nymphadora was happy to be home again, that was obviously as she began nearly dragging her aunt off the train.

Standing to the side, Jasmine watched, smiling, as Nymphadora ran into her parents' waiting arms. Nymphadora laughed as her father lifted her off the ground in a hug to plant a kiss on her cheek, and just about screamed as her mother must have been trying to break her in two she was hugging her daughter so hard.

Subconsciously, Jasmine laid a hand over her stomach, knowing a child would never grow there, in her womb. That was the reason her godson and niece were so important to her, they were the closest to her own children as she could ever get. And she had wanted a child since she was sixteen, when it happened.

It was the first of two hexes her mother had ever used on her, on that night she and Sirius ran away. That curse, with what it was and where it hit her, she was lucky it didn't destroy more than what it did, lucky that the rest of her could be repaired.

Ted had taken Nymphadora's trunk, and was leading his daughter to the car while having his ear chatted off by her. Jasmine had to shake her head, her niece could be the shyest girl at times, but once she felt comfortable in her surroundings, getting her to shut up for half a minute was a feat all its own; although she doubted she'd ever tire of hearing her niece's voice.

She cast her eyes back to the ground, not really thinking about anything, except Harry. She only looked up when she sensed someone approaching her, and was met with the sight of her sister's face.

"It's nice to have you back, Jas," Andromeda told her, pulling her sister into a tight hug.

Jasmine returned it. "It's nice to be back." But her tone matched her feelings, not her thoughts of being back with her family.

"Come." Andromeda pulled back and put a hand on Jasmine's back, and gave a gentle guiding push in the direction of the car. She would have followed her baby sister immediately, but bent to pick up a piece of folded parchment that fell out of Jasmine's bag. The writing on the front must have been hurried since Andromeda, who was excellent at reading even Ted's messy chickenscratch handwriting, couldn't read it; but the first letter looked to be an 'M'. "She never remembers to owl her letters," Andromeda said to herself, sticking the parchment in her pocket.

* * *

On the way home, the Tonks family (Jasmine had, for a while now, been toying with the notion of changing her surname to 'Tonks' since she stopped viewing marriage to anyone - magic or Muggle - as an option. Ted had, when Jasmine presented this idea in the form of a joke, said something about not wanting to be related to his wife's sister by anything more than marriage, and sharing a name was something more. That remark was found by Jasmine and Nymphadora as funny, but Andromeda scoffed at it) stopped at Diagon Alley for something. Andromeda, unknown to Jasmine, wanted to send the letter, and Ted and Nymphadora took Fuzzy to the pet shop to look around. Jasmine decided to stay in the Leaky Cauldron. Normally, Andromeda wouldn't have allowed it, because she didn't like Nymphadora seeing her aunt - to whom she looked up to - drinking, but she could tell from Jasmine's tone at Platform 9 3/4 that she could really use it, even if she highly disapproved, and Andromeda never kept anything stronger than butterbeer at the house.

Jasmine barely had time to take a few sips of her second Firewhiskey - being best mates with three boys about twice her own size did have more effect on her than most would assume - when Ted, Andromeda, and Nymphadora came back into the pub not twenty minutes later. Of the three of them, only the youngest was carrying anything, a bag of cat treats and her cat, and her hair was forest green since her mother had been badgering her about the vivid pink.

"Just a minute," Jasmine called. She tipped her bottle up and downed the rest of the drink in one go. Slapping the bottle back on the counter, she said, "Wow, I'm gonna feel that come morning." But she smiled anyways.

Andromeda huffed, but her sister only replied, "Well, just because I can keep it down doesn't mean I usually drink stuff that strong that fast."

"And how you can still function normally is beyond me."

Jasmine just shrugged.

* * *

"Hey, Jas, starting to feel that Firewhiskey yet?" Ted asked in a teasing manner as the four people headed to the front door of the Tonks home.

"Show me where you left your shoes and we'll see."

"Alright, that's enough from the both of you. Jasmine, I think you should go sleep that off," Andromeda interrupted their joke with a stern tone, muttering about alcoholism and disgusting habits.

Jasmine heeded her sister's advise and headed to her room. Throwing her bag onto her bed, she reached for the letter she wrote on the train, trying to decide on the best way to get rid of it without setting her older sister off was. But she couldn't find it.

She began ripping open the pockets in her bag, that letter held more of her feelings and emotions than she had ever let herself show, with the possible exception of the night Lily and James had died, but that was so long ago that she only remembered what happened, not what she did. After twenty minutes of relentless searching, Jasmine realized her letter wasn't there. She threw down what contents she was holding that her bag did contain as she uttered the most inappropriate word she knew before calling to her sister.

"Andromeda!"

"Oh, I'll bet she's feeling it now," she muttered to herself before answering aloud. "What?"

Jasmine appeared around the corner of the wall looking as though staying calm were a feat. "Did you see a piece of parchment in my bag, or fall out of it, or something?"

Andromeda, who was holding a fresh pot of coffee, poured some in a mug. "Yes, I owled it for you."

The dark haired witch looked at the other as if she had spouted a few extra heads. "What did you do?"

"Owled it. It's not like you ever remember to do."

"Oh, shit," Jasmine said, her head falling into her arm as she sank into a seat. Her head came back up a millisecond later. "Oh, f-"

"Jasmine Black!"

"-udge," Jasmine finished, her sister's shout enabling her to catch herself just in time. "Are you sure there's nothing stronger than Firewhiskey here?"

"Jas, there's nothing stronger than butterbeer here, and you know it." She pushed the mug of coffee to her sister. "I believe this will help more than that."

"No, it won't," Jasmine said, but drank the coffee anyways.

Andromeda sat across from her sister. "Do you want to tell me what was so important about that letter?"

"Not really, no. I'll just go back to my room. 'Night."

"Good night, hun."

When Jasmine got back to her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, muttering "stupid, stupid" as she lightly banged her head against it. Finally getting over it, she told herself, "I'll be having headache enough when I wake up, might as well worry about that now." and crawled into bed, bothering only to change into pajamas and shove her bag and its remaining contents to the floor first. 


	23. July 1, 1984

**_A/N: I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter written. This story, however, has just taken an entirely new direction. It was not planned like this at all, until I began writing this chapter. I do like this new plot better though, so that's why I'm keeping it._**

**_Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Moromu, who got me working on this story again. Thanks for all you've done for TLIA!_**

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Andromeda thought to use her sister's predicament to teach her daughter a valuable life lesson. Jasmine could only wish her current state was due to alcohol consumption, as Andromeda believed. In fact, she would go so far as to say that she would willingly give herself the greatest hangover known to mankind if it god her mind off the sent letter and situation at hand.

When the morning post arrived, she eyed the owl as if she expected it to attack or explode, even though she knew it was impossible for Remus to have gotten her owl and sent his own back in so short a time. That knowledge also did nothing to comfort her when Andromeda passed her a letter. Only when she saw the unfamiliar handwriting covering the envelope did Jasmine allow a deep breath to escape her lungs.

Quickly scanning the letter, she muttered, "'Deepest regards,' my ass."

"What was that?" Andromeda asked distractedly.

"Nothing," Jasmine replied. Thoroughly p.-o.-ed, she left the house barefooted and without bothering to change out of her pajama bottoms and tank-top, or even to throw an actual bra on underneath.

All thoughts of Remus were pushed far from her mind.

* * *

The distance being too far to walk, Jasmine apparated, then entered a Muggle park somewhere in Surrey. She inhaled deeply, surveying the scene, as anger rose within her. Distraught Aurors, an Evans-Dursley, and her godson – up a tree! – were all present and waiting. The only positive thing, she noted, was Dumbledore's absence. This would all be so much easier without him around.

Jasmine stormed to the nervous looking, horse-faced Dursley woman.

"What the hell did you do to him, you bitch?!" Jasmine was certain she had dropped a couple of f-bombs to emphasize her point, but she paid little attention to her own language at this point.

Her late best friend's sister looked, if possible, even more frightened at the approach of this mad witch.

"I-I didn't do a-an-anything," Petunia stuttered, looking anywhere but at Jasmine, hands nervously wringing her purse.

"You left him up a tree all _night_!" Again, Jasmine was she that what she had vocalized was actually much worse that what she originally planned to say. Not that that was very decent either…

The woman muttered something even Jasmine's enhanced-by-Animagus ears couldn't pick up, but she dared not to repeat it.

"Um, Mi-Miss Black?" A wizard from the Ministry – dressed as a rather unconvincing Muggle – approached her. "We need you to, uh, to grant . . . grant consent."

Jasmine guessed that he was new to the Ministry. Those who hadn't been there long were the only ones who would ever believe she could be spoken to reasonably when she expressed herself in the manner she currently was. They were also the only ones with a low enough ranking to be bullied into speaking with her.

She turned to face him, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

He took a step back.

As if he had been asked to explain himself, he rambled on. "His, uh, Mr. Potter's, Muggle relat- guardian, refuses to give consent for Mr. Potter to be magically removed from the tree he has, um, unfortunately, rather unfortunately, magicked himself into. And, um, Muggle methods were not deemed safe enough, and he refuses to come down on his own. So-"

"So you need another guardian to give permission." She nodded as if considering what the man had told her, and noted his invisible breath of relief at her gentler tone. He probably wished it had stayed. "Fuck you assholes!" she shouted for all present to hear, knowing what words came from her mouth that time. "I won't be his guardian just whenever the hell it suits you, only to give him back to that cow!" Judging by the looks on everyone's faces, her language hadn't improved much. Jasmine also doubted if the last word she said really had been 'cow', but she continued anyway. "You want me to be his guardian, that's great. But he comes home with me." Her language finally did calm down, as she was waiting for an answer from a wizard of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, specializing in children's cases.

But that wasn't where the answer came from.

"I think that is a very reasonable request, Miss Black," Albus Dumbledore's voice responded from behind.

Jasmine spun around fast enough to give herself whiplash. "Sir?"

"If you wish to take on the responsibility of guardianship over Harry Potter, I will see the matter is considered."

Jasmine felt something within her, and it took her a while to recognize it as a small bit of hope that had risen in her chest, as she stared almost unbelieving at the elderly wizard before her. But hope in her had so long been absent that her heart warned against it. "Just considered?"

"You will consider; guardianship, after all, is a heavy responsibility, especially with a child so young. I will do whatever I can to ensure your decision happens," Dumbledore clarified.

"But, sir. . . why?"

"Perhaps you should ask your sister once you return home," he said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Jasmine smiled, her grey eyes felt wet, and she swallowed the sigh that threatened to part her lips. Nodding, she said, "I'll get him down."

"As long as you understand legal matters must be resolved first."

"Yeah. . . yeah, I know."

She went over to the tree, which had to be over two stories high, and hoisted herself onto the first branch. As she swiftly climbed upwards to where her four-year-old godson was, Jasmine could only assume, and be grateful, that none of the idiots below her could get up a tree without magical aid (such as levitation or a broomstick) which was why they hadn't just come up there themselves.

It didn't take her long to find him, the small child hugging himself tightly to the large trunk, frightened to the point of tears.

"Hey," Jasmine said softly when the emerald green eyes spotted her.

Harry squeaked a 'hi' back after looking her over. It was obvious he didn't remember his godmother (after all, Jasmine made sure he would be too young to remember when she visited him on Privet Drive), and her presence did little to comfort him. Manners were all that compelled little Harry to return the greeting, even at this altitude.

Jasmine positioned herself near Harry, but not too close. Her back was to the trunk as she casually leaned to it, one barefoot flat on the branch she sat on, the other hanging over the branch's edge. With one hand, she held a smaller branch above her head, and her other arm lay across her bended stomach.

"So how'd you get up this tree?" she asked.

The small boy looked even more nervous when he was addressed a second time. "I-I climb here."

"You climbed up, huh?" Jasmine said, raising a skeptical eyebrow much friendlier than how she had before. She leaned over the branch, looking to the ground, her hand holding on above her head all that kept her from falling out of the tree. Pulling herself back into her 'seat', she said, "That's a pretty long way to climb, isn't it?"

He nodded fearfully, refusing to let his eyes meet hers.

"You want some help getting down?"

Harry looked at Jasmine this time, and nodded again.

"Okay." She smiled. "Here." Jasmine carefully moved closer to the terrified child, who tried to move back from her, and into the tree.

"Who-who are y-you?"

"My name is Jas," she answered, still smiling.

"Jas?" Harry asked.

The witch nodded this time.

"Why you try to-to help me?"

_This kid talks pretty well for four_, was the first thought that crossed Jasmine's mind. The best response, she decided, to give the child was, "I knew your parents, Harry."

Harry looked up with shock evident in his features, the fear in his eyes dimmed, but was not extinguished. "You did?"

"I did. And I want you to come and live with me, after we get out of this tree, of course."

Jasmine had to smile as she saw hope and wonder overpower and replace what was left of the diminishing fear in her godson's eyes.

"You-you do? Really?"

"Really."

Harry smiled up at her.

Jasmine thought that was all a bit too easy, but considering what she had seen on her 'visit' not all that long ago, she wasn't surprised.

"Now what do you say we get out of this tree?"

Harry's smile vanished as he looked around nervously. "O-okay," he said, fear creeping back into his voice. They were, after all, _very_ high up.

"Okay." She gently reached over and guided the boy to her, cradling his small form against her chest. It would have been easier for her to get down with Harry on her back and two free hands, but when she told him to 'hold on tight', he put her neck in a death grip and buried his face below her chin. Jasmine kept a tight arm around him, and slowly, carefully, brought the two of them back down to the world below.

* * *

**_A/N: So that's the end of TLIA. I'll be putting up a sequel (hopefully) before or right after the New Year. It will probably be called 'One Step Forward' or something like that, but I'm still working on the name of it._**

**_Hope you enjoyed! and Reviews are Welcome!_**


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